Statement by Acting Secretary of Labor Su on April jobs report

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su issued the following statement on the April 2024 Employment Situation report: 

“Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the American economy added 175,000 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate was 3.9 percent. This continues the longest stretch of such low unemployment in more than a half century.  

“Notably, the share of working age women in the labor force rose to a historic high of 78 percent. This is the highest the rate has been since we began tracking the data in 1948, and it is a welcome sign after the devastating effects that COVID-19 had on working women. Overall, the labor force participation rate among prime-age workers continues to outpace its pre-pandemic levels.  

“Once again, this report shows steady, stable economic growth under President Biden, and those gains are broadly felt across industries and among a diverse cross-section of America’s workers. The Biden-Harris administration will continue to work to ensure our economy doesn’t just return to pre-pandemic norms, but that it instead grows equitably, where all of America’s workers can gain real security and opportunity.”