US added just 266,000 jobs in April, far below 1 million expected

The US added just 266,000 jobs in April — far below economists’ expectations of one million — and the unemployment rate rose slightly to 6.1 percent, the feds said Friday.

The lower-than-expected data comes on the heels of strong gains in March, which saw 770,000 jobs added, about 150,000 lower than initially estimated, according to revised data published Friday. “Notable job gains in leisure and hospitality, other services, and local government education were partially offset by employment declines in temporary help services and in couriers and messengers,” according to Friday’s closely watched jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.