WASHINGTON, May 2, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US hiring slowed much less than expected in April while the jobless rate remained unchanged, according to government data published Friday, as businesses navigated the early months of Donald Trump's second presidency.

The world's largest economy added 177,000 jobs last month, down slightly from a revised 185,000 in March, while the unemployment rate stayed at 4.2 percent, the Department of Labor said in a statement.

However, job creation was still well above the market consensus of 130,000, according to Briefing.com, and remained slightly above the average monthly gain of 152,000 over the past 12 months.

The unemployment rate stayed at 4.2 percent, in line with expectations.

Sectors that saw job gains included health care, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and social assistance.

But federal government employment declined by 9,000 in April, bringing the total decline in the number of government employees since January to 26,000, the Labor Department said.

The Trump administration is facing legal action after attempting to lay off tens of thousands of federal workers as part of an aggressive cost-cutting drive.

Average hourly earnings grew 0.2 percent to $36.06 in April, the Labor Department said.