US employers add 916,000 jobs in March as hiring accelerates

WASHINGTON (AP) - America’s employers unleashed a burst of hiring in March, adding 916,000 jobs in a sign that a sustained recovery from the pandemic recession is taking hold as vaccinations accelerate, stimulus checks flow through the economy and businesses increasingly reopen.

The March increase - the most since August - was nearly double February’s gain of 468,000, the Labor Department said Friday.

The unemployment rate declined from 6.2% to 6%.