Last month was not the singing success in terms of additional jobs south of the border that experts were hoping for.
Figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed non-farm payrolls rose 103,000 in March while the unemployment rate was 4.1%, falling well short of Wall Street expectations.
Economists had been expecting a payrolls gain of 193,000 and the unemployment rate to decline one 10th of a point to 4%. The monthly reading was a huge slip from the 326,000 reported in February.
A broader measure of unemployment that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time positions for economic reasons — the underemployed — fell two 10ths of a point to 8%, its lowest reading in 11 years.
In addition to the payrolls news, the closely watched average hourly earnings figure rose 0.3%, against estimates of 0.2%. The number equates to 2.7% on an annualized basis. The average work week was unchanged at 34.5 hours.
The department also said professional and business services led with 33,000 new jobs while manufacturing and health added 22,000 new jobs apiece. Mining rose 9,000 while construction lost 15,000 positions and retail fell 4,000.
In addition to the weak March growth, January's total was revised down from 239,000 to 176,000, though February got a boost from 313,000 to 326,000.
