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- The April jobs report fell far short of the 1 million growth expectation, adding just 266,000 jobs.
- Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said he still thinks that 266,000 "is a good number."
- He said expanded federal unemployment insurance is still needed despite calls to end the benefits early.
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The Friday jobs report was a major disappointment, as the US economy added just 266,000 jobs in April despite economists predicting a gain of at least 1 million.
But Labor Secretary Marty Walsh said on CNBC that this report should still be celebrated.
"I think as we continue to move forward here, hopefully in the coming months we are going to see lots of those Americans who are looking for jobs, finding jobs, and I'll be able to stand in front of this camera and talk about the great gains we've had," Walsh said. "But I still think 266,000 jobs this month is a good number."
"If you look back on the last three months, the United States economy has added 500,000 new jobs per month as compared to the previous three months where it was 60,000," Walsh said. So we are definitely going in the right direction but we still have a ways to go, there's no question about it. We are still dealing with a pandemic."
Insider's Ben Winck reported on Friday that along with the disappointing job gains, the unemployment rate rose in April to 6.1% from 6%, while economists had expected it to drop to 5.8%. Possible reasons for the report falling short of expectations could include temporary layoffs and too-generous unemployment insurance.
The report highlights an increasing split between the weak jobs recovery and a booming economy led by consumer spending. For instance, US gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 6.4% in the first quarter - the second-strongest expansion since 2003. Insider's Juliana Kaplan and Grace Kay reported on shortages of all sorts of items amid reopening, such as chicken and lumber, all evidence of a sudden increase in spending.
Walsh criticized the argument that unemployment benefits are to blame for the weak jobs report. He said people "obviously" need unemployment benefits given the millions of Americans who are still out of work.
At nearly the same time, the Chamber of Commerce urged an end to the $300 weekly benefits, with the chamber's chief policy officer, Neal Bradley, saying in a statement that the "disappointing jobs report makes it clear that paying people not to work is dampening what should be a stronger jobs market."
But Walsh remained adamant that retaining unemployment benefits is vital to economic recovery.
"We have lost restaurants. We have lost businesses," Walsh said. "I wouldn't say we are in the midst of pandemic ... but we are still living and dealing with the pandemic, and as we continue to move forward here we will continue to recover."
Walsh emphasized that as vaccinations continue, "we are starting to see the confidence come back."