March hiring accelerated to 916K, yet many jobs remain lost

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers unleashed a burst of hiring in March.

The Labor Department reported the adding of 916,000 jobs in a sign that a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession is taking hold as vaccinations accelerate, stimulus checks flow through the economy and businesses increasingly reopen.

The March increase — the most since August — was nearly double February’s gain of 468,000, the Labor Department said Friday.

The unemployment rate declined from 6.2% to 6%.