U.S. employers added 228k jobs in March amid federal layoffs and uncertainty sparked by Trump's tariffs. Economists polled expected 138,000 job gains.

The U.S. economy added 228,000 jobs in March in a surprise to the upside as the unemployment rate rose a tick. Economists had been playing it safe, forecasting 140,000 jobs were created, close to recent trends.

The strength of the U.S. labor market surpassed expectations in March, as employers continued to hire a healthy number of workers despite uncertainty around changing federal policies. Employers added 228,