Unemployment Rate Inches Up in April, but 290,000 New Jobs Created

Unemployment crept up to 9.9 percent in April, but the economy grew with 290,000 jobs added as the "labor force increased sharply" -- the most in four years -- the Department of Labor said.

Christina Romer, head of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said the "employment report shows the strongest signs yet of healing in the labor market, as private non-farm payrolls expanded substantially. At the same time, the rise in the unemployment rate reminds us of how far we still have to go before the economy is fully recovered."

Private employers were responsible for creating 231,000 of the new jobs, while the U.S. Census took on 66,000 temps last month. The inching up of the jobless rate -- from 9.7 percent in March -- was due in part to a flood of job-seekers -- 195,000 of them -- coming back into the market, the Washington Post said. But the number of unemployed still stood at 15.3 million Americans.

Health care, business services, manufacturing, and the leisure and food service sectors did much of the hiring in April. Unemployment peaked at 10.1 percent last October.