The U.S. economy saw a surge in hiring in March as vaccination increased and lockdown restrictions were eased.
The U.S. economy added more than 900,000 jobs in March, driven by re-openings at restaurants, bars, construction sites, and schools.
The gains were the biggest since August last year and helped lower the unemployment rate to 6% from 6.2% in February.
The country lost more than 20 million jobs last spring as the virus led to widespread lockdowns. It has regained more than half, but the number of jobs is still more than 8 million down from February 2020, the U.S. Labor Department said.
On Friday, President Joe Biden urged vigilance when it comes to taking precautions against coronavirus. He said that millions have not yet been vaccinated and that many parts of the economy hit by closures remain weak.
“I plead with you, don’t give back the progress we’ve all fought so hard to achieve,” Mr Biden said. “We need to finish this job. We need every American to buckle down and keep their guard up.”
