Unemployment rate at 4-year low as job growth beats estimates

The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.5 percent in April – the lowest it has been since December 2008 – as payrolls increased by 165,000 and the government raised its prior projections for job gains in February and March.

Private-sector employment increased by 176,000 in April from the previous month, while government agencies trimmed 11,000 positions.

The U.S. Department of Labor revised its employment estimates for February and March, saying that 114,000 more individuals were employed in those months than initially thought. The overall gains brought unemployment down a tenth of a percentage point from 7.6 percent in March.

Economists had predicted the U.S. economy would add 140,000 jobs in April, with the unemployment rate holding steady.