Solid Hiring in April Signals a Steadier U.S. Jobs Market
5/8/20263 min
Plus: U.S. military forces strike Iranian-flagged oil tankers trying to break the blockade. And the Virginia Supreme Court throws out Democrats' effort to draw more blue-leaning seats ahead of the midterm elections. Anthony Bansie hosts.
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First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
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Anthony Bansie· Host0:14
[calm music] Here's your midday brief for Friday, May 8th. I'm Anthony Bansie for the Wall Street Journal. April's job numbers exceeded expectations. The Labor Department says the US added one hundred and fifteen thousand jobs last month, more than the fifty-five thousand jobs analysts expected. The unemployment rate held steady at four point three percent. The jobs outlook has shifted from some months ago when economists were more worried about a slowdown in the labor market. Hiring has held up, the unemployment rate didn't budge, and wage growth has been solid. With the labor market steadier, that suggests the Federal Reserve will be looking more at inflation data to determine interest rate policy. Prices are rising because of tariffs and the Iran war. US Central Command says American military forces carried out airstrikes against two empty Iranian-flagged oil tankers today that were trying to break the US blockade. Admiral Brad Cooper says US forces remain committed to fully enforcing the blockade against all traffic entering or leaving Iran. This is the third time the US has used force against commercial vessels since the Trump administration began its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz last month. And Virginia's Supreme Court has thrown out a Democratic-led