Job creation in the U.S. economy was weaker than expected in April although the unemployment rate fell slightly, according to figures released Friday by the Labor Department.
The overall economy added 115,000 jobs in April, down from revised data that showed March job creation at 154,000, notably higher than the 120,000 initially reported.
The job creation numbers for April were also notably lower than the predictions of most economists who had forecast 165,000 new jobs for the month.
Despite the anemic job creation figures, the unemployment rate ticked down to 8.1 percent in April from the 8.2 percent reported in March.
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