CNN The US economy added 178,000 jobs in March, a signal that businesses were moving forward with hiring plans before the war with Iran escalated.

The unemployment rate eased to 4.3% from 4.4%, according to new data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Friday’s jobs report far exceeded expectations – economists forecast businesses would add 60,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate would stay at 4.4% – and last month’s employment gains were the strongest since December 2024.

March’s 178,000-job gain follows a downwardly revised 133,000-job loss in February and a 160,000-job gain in January. Taken together, monthly job growth is averaging just above 68,000 so far this year, an improvement from 2025, when a mere 12,000 jobs were added per month.