U.S. employers pulled back sharply on hiring last month, adding just 120,000 jobs. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.2 percent, the Labor Department said. The decline was mostly because more Americans stopped looking for work. The official unemployment tally only includes those seeking work.
Here are some details from the report:
| Unemployment rate by group | |||
| March 2012 | February 2012 | March 2011 | |
| White | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.9 |
| Black | 14 | 14.1 | 15.6 |
| Hispanic | 10.3 | 10.7 | 11.3 |
| Asian (not seasonally adjusted) | 6.2 | 6.3 | 7.1 |
| Adult men | 7.6 | 7.7 | 8.7 |
| Adult women | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.8 |
| Teenagers | 25 | 23.8 | 24.5 |
| 20-24 years old | 13.2 | 13.8 | 14.9 |
| 25-54 years old | 7.1 | 7.3 | 7.8 |
| 55 and over | 6.2 | 5.9 | 6.5 |
| Veterans of Iraq/Afghanistan (not seasonally adjusted) | 10.3 | 7.6 | 10.9 |
| No high school diploma | 12.6 | 12.9 | 13.8 |
| High school graduates | 8 | 8.3 | 9.5 |
| Some college | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.4 |
| College graduates | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.4 |
| Duration of unemployment | March 2012 | February 2012 | March 2011 |
| Average length (weeks) | 39.4 | 40 | 38.9 |
| Jobless 6 months or more (percentage) | 42.5 | 42.6 | 45.5 |
| Job changes by sector (net) | March 2012 | February 2012 | March 2011 |
| Total jobs added | 120,000 | 240,000 | 246,000 |
| Private employers | 121,000 | 233,000 | 261,000 |
| Construction | -7,000 | -6,000 | 7,000 |
| Education and health care | 37,000 | 66,000 | 24,000 |
| Manufacturing | 37,000 | 31,000 | 26,000 |
| Recreation, restaurants, hotels | 39,000 | 45,000 | 64,000 |
| Professional and business services * | 31,000 | 86,000 | 88,000 |
| Retail | -33,800 | -28,600 | 7,700 |
| Government | -1,000 | 7,000 | -15,000 |
| * includes engineering, accounting and temp services |
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