Trump’s tariffs will have near-immediate effects on hiring and jobs

Over the last few years, the job market has remained relatively strong despite rising inflation and other economic headwinds. Even amid ongoing cuts to the federal workforce, the jobs report released today offered a more optimistic outlook than many economists had anticipated: In March, employers added about 228,000 jobs, far exceeding the monthly average of 158,000 jobs over the last year. The number of hours worked each week also remained steady last month, as did hourly wage growth.