US added 115,000 jobs in April in surprise gain amid Iran war uncertainty
US employers added 115,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3%, a surprisingly robust gain to the labor market as the US-Israel war with Iran continued to drive up economic uncertainty.Economists projected about 55,000 new jobs and a 4.3% unemployment rate.A day earlier, the labor department announced 200,000 people filed for weekly unemployment benefits, a slight increase from the week before.
Jobs gains were concentrated in healthcare, transportation and warehousing, retail, and social assistance,Altogether, 106,000 new jobs were added to those four industries,Meanwhile, job losses were seen in federal government employment – which is down 348,000 since November 2024 – and the information sector,White House spokesperson Kush Desai wrote on social media on Friday that the April jobs report “smash[ed] expectations”,“Yet another sign that the American economy remains on a solid trajectory under President Trump,” he said.
A series of major changes over the last year – tariffs, government layoffs, changing immigration policies and, now, rising oil prices amid conflict in the Middle East – have rattled the US economy and destabilized the labor market.The new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also included revisions to previous job figures.Last month, employers added 185,000 jobs, far exceeding economists’ expectations of about 70,000.But in February, the US lost 156,000 jobs – initially reported as a drop of 92,000 jobs – an unexpected and major contraction just before the US-Israel war in Iran.Private employers added 109,000 jobs in April, the largest increase in job growth since January 2025, according to the payroll firm ADP.
Healthcare industry jobs continued to fuel growth, along with modest increases in construction, trade, transportation and utilities industries,Professional industries, however, lost 8,000 jobs,“Small and large employers are hiring, but we’re seeing softness in the middle,” Dr Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist, said in a statement,“Large companies have resources to deploy, and small ones are the most nimble, both important advantages in a complex labor environment,”The US Federal Reserve cited slow job growth among several factors in its decision to keep rates steady last month, alongside elevated inflation and continued conflict in the Middle East.
Fluctuating economic data adds to the uncertainty casting a shadow over the Fed,Last month, the outgoing chair, Jerome Powell, announced he will remain on the Fed’s board as a governor even after Kevin Warsh, Trump’s nominee to lead the central bank, is sworn in,Powell said he will stay on until investigations into renovations at Fed headquarters are “well and truly over with transparency and finality”, citing concerns that the Fed will be “pulled into politics”,Meanwhile, Warsh is under pressure from the White House to usher in lower interest rates, though he cannot do so without the support of the other 12 voting members of the Fed’s board,The Fed wields immense influence over the state of unemployment and inflation in the US, and must set rates to fulfill its dual mandate of maximizing employment while maintaining stable prices.
Labour loses control of Birmingham city council after 14 years of leadership
The Labour party’s 14-year leadership in Birmingham has come to an end after Reform, Greens and pro-Gaza independents made significant gains in the UK’s second-largest city.No party has yet won an overall majority at Birmingham city council, one of Europe’s largest local authorities, with the results reflecting wider political fragmentation across England.Labour lost hundreds of council seats in England, many to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which made big gains across the Midlands and the north as well as taking seats from the Tories in the south.Labour was expected to take significant losses in the all-out elections in Birmingham, where 101 seats were up for grabs. The council has been plagued by a series of problems in recent years, from the declaration of bankruptcy in 2023, subsequent cuts to local services and the ongoing bin strike – images of rubbish piled on the city’s streets have made headlines across the world
Cracks showing for Labour close to backyards of Starmer’s top team
Keir Starmer hates to lose. Unsurprisingly, he refused to walk away and end his premiership as Labour’s local election losses began to trickle in on Friday morning. Upon entering Downing Street in July 2024 after leading Labour to a historic general election victory, Starmer promised the public that his government would “fight every day until you believe again”.Now, Starmer is faced with the uncomfortable truth that the frustrated yet united coalition that brought him into No 10 hoping for change is completely fractured and its discontent cannot be dismissed as early midterm blues.The cracks are showing very close to the political backyards of Starmer and his top team
Plaid Cymru wins Welsh Senedd elections, ending 100 years of Labour control
Plaid Cymru has won the Welsh Senedd elections, ending 100 years of Labour dominance in Wales and blocking the momentum of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.The leader of the centre-left Welsh nationalist party, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said he stood ready to become first minister and form the next Welsh government, taking over from Welsh Labour, who have governed in Wales since devolution began in 1999.The Plaid win makes a Welsh independence referendum a future possibility, and means all three of the UK’s Celtic nations will now be controlled by separatist parties.Reform UK came second, pushing Labour into a distant third place. Plaid won 43 seats, Reform 34, Labour nine, the Conservatives seven, Greens two and Liberal Democrats one
Badenoch claims Tories ‘coming back’ despite widespread losses in local elections
Kemi Badenoch has claimed that the Conservatives are “coming back” after winning back Westminster council from Labour in London, despite her party suffering significant losses throughout England in Thursday’s elections.The party also saw off a threat from Reform UK in Bexley. But the Tories suffered a series of losses in Essex, where Badenoch herself is an MP, losing 41 seats while Reform gained 52. They held on to Harlow, securing all 11 district council seats available.In Havering, where the Conservatives had 14 councillors before the election, the party was wiped out
Zack Polanski calls two-party politics dead after mayoral and council wins
Zack Polanski has declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried” as his Green party won its first two mayoral elections and gained councillors across England, winning four councils outright.As Labour losses piled up across the country and the Conservatives endured another disappointing set of results, Polanski sought to present his party as emerging from the results as the most viable option for opponents of Reform.“It is very clear that the new politics is the Green party versus Reform,” he said.Speaking at the Hackney count centre in east London, the scene of the first mayoral success, he added: “I said that the Green party were going to replace Labour. That’s exactly what we did in Gorton and Denton, it’s what we’ve done in Hackney, and we’re seeing that right across the country
Lord Beecham obituary
Jeremy Beecham, who has died aged 81, was an outstanding figure in local government as the Labour leader of Newcastle city council from 1977 to 1994.He built on the work of his immediate predecessors in restoring faith in the integrity of the council following the corruption of the T Dan Smith era, and guided it through the unfamiliar territory of collaboration with the new Tyne and Wear county council.He and his team focused on the basic local government responsibilities of council housing, education and social services – the latter his special interest. Initially these priorities led him to allow council staffing levels to run out of control. As a reporter for the Newcastle Chronicle throughout his leadership, I noted in 1978 that the council was employing more than 18,000 people: in the very different circumstances of 2025, the number of full-time equivalent posts was below 7,000
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