Companies Added More Workers in April, Report Says

U.S. companies added 179,000 workers to payrolls in April, signaling the labor market is strengthening, according to a private report released, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.

Economists projected the unemployment rate would hold at 8.8% in April, in advance of the Labor Department’s monthly employment report, which was to be released May 6, Bloomberg said.

A separate report showed that U.S. employers announced fewer job cuts in April than the same month last year, a sign that the labor market is firming, Bloomberg reported.

Planned firings fell by 4.8% to 36,490, from April 2010, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc.’s monthly report.

Government agencies accounted for the biggest cutbacks by industry, Bloomberg said, citing the Challenger report.