(May 06.5, 2005) - The Employment Situation report, released at 6:00 AM EST, showed a surge in job growth during the month of April. While Wall Street was predicting growth in the 175,000 range, the economy produced 275,000 jobs.

Employment rose in April, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 274,000 over the month. Job growth was widespread, with gains in construction, mining, and several service-providing industries.Total employment grew by 598,000 in April to 141.1 million, and the employment-population ratio--the proportion of the population age 16 and over with jobs--edged up to 62.6 percent. The civilian labor force increased by 605,000 in April to 148.8 million; the labor force participation rate, at 66.0 percent, also was up over the month.

The Employment Situation for May 2005 is scheduled to be released on Friday, June 3, at 8:30 A.M. (EDT).