As predicted, the official U.S. unemployment rate has budged little from the start of the year. March unemployment numbers held steady at 9.7 percent statistics from the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated Friday.
Despite the numbers holding steady, March experienced the largest one-month job gain in over three years. A total of 162,000 new non-farm payroll jobs were created for the month, a positive step though still undercutting economists predictions.
Analysts had estimated that 200,000 new jobs would be created last month as a result of the census hiring. The hiring of fewer census workers than predicted; however, led to the disparity between forecast and actuality.
Both government officials and analysts agree that the March numbers are indicative of a continued recovery though the pace is slower than many originally thought.
An excess of 6.5 million Americans have been unemployed for a period of six months or more, the highest number in recorded history.
The Census hiring is not over yet. The Commerce Department expects to staff no less than 600,000 temporary workers on the 2010 Census.
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