Far Short Of Expectations, U.S. Adds 126,000 Jobs In March

The U.S. economy added 126,000 jobs in March - far fewer than economists had predicted. Sagging oil prices and a brutal East Coast winter put a crimp in hiring.

In the mining industry, 11,000 jobs were cut. That sector has lost 30,000 jobs so far this year, as the oil and gas industry struggles.

On the brighter side, wages went up slightly more than expected. The unemployment rate stayed steady at 5.5 percent. NPR Economics Correspondent John Ydstie discusses the jobs report with Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson.