Here are five things to know:
1. The unemployment rate dropped slightly from 4.5 percent to 4.4 percent nationally. The number of long-term jobless people was unchanged at 1.6 million for the month and accounted for 22.6 percent of the unemployment while the labor participation rate was also flat at 62.9 percent.
2. Healthcare and social assistance markets added 37,000 jobs last month, with healthcare employment adding more than 20,000 jobs.
3. The healthcare job growth is in line with growth during the first quarter of 2017, but well below the national average of 32,000 jobs per month last year.
4. Insurance carriers and related activities added more than 14,000 jobs last month, driving growth in the financial activities job market.
5. The average hourly earnings for employees on private, nonfarm payroll was $26.19, having risen $0.65 year-over-year.
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