Employers added 228,000 new jobs in March

Job growth was stronger than expected in March, providing at least temporary reassurance that the labor market is stable, the Labor Department reported Friday.

• Nonfarm payrolls increased 228,000 for the month, up from the revised 117,000 in February and better than the Dow Jones estimate for 140,000.

• However, the unemployment rate moved up to 4.2%, higher than the 4.1% forecast as the labor force participation rate also increased.

The report comes against a highly uncertain backdrop after Trump’s tariff announcement last week that has intensified fears of a global trade war that could damage economic growth.