U.S Jobs Report April 2025

Wage Growth Slows: Average hourly earnings increased by 0.2% in April, reflecting a continued deceleration from earlier months and signaling easing wage pressures across the labor market.

U-6 Unemployment Remains Elevated: The broader U-6 unemployment rate, which includes underemployed and discouraged workers, held steady at 7.8%, about 0.9 percentage points higher than the same time last year.

Continued Growth in Financial Activities: Employment in the financial activities sector rose by 14,000 jobs in April. Since reaching its employment low in April 2024, the industry has added a total of 103,000 positions.

March 2025 JOLTS Report & April Labor Market Highlights

Job Openings Rate Holds Steady: In March, the job openings rate remained unchanged at 4.3%. However, the federal government sector saw a notable decline of 36,000 openings.

The April jobs report showed that the U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs, surpassing expectations of 130,000. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.2%, and average hourly earnings rose 0.2% month over month equating to a 3.8% year over year increase. However, job gains for February and March were revised down by a combined 58,000.

Despite the revisions, sectors such as healthcare, transportation, and warehousing continued to show steady growth.

On the demand side, the March JOLTS data revealed 7.2 million job openings, a sharp decline of 901,000 from the previous year, marking the lowest level since September 2020. This sustained drop in openings over the past year points to increasing employer caution, which may begin to factor into the Federal Reserve’s approach to interest rate policy.

In the public sector, federal government employment declined by 9,000 in April, following a loss of 4,000 in March. (It’s worth noting that individuals on paid leave or receiving severance are still counted as employed in BLS surveys.) Meanwhile, increased hiring at the state and local levels helped support a positive net employment figure across the broader government sector.

A Closer Look at April’s Labor Market Metrics

Broader Unemployment Unchanged: The U-6 unemployment rate, which includes discouraged workers and those working part-time for economic reasons, held steady at 7.8%.

Prime Age Participation Rises: Labor force participation among individuals aged 25 to 54 increased by 0.3 percentage points to 83.6%, reflecting growing engagement among core working age adults.

Overall Labor Force Participation Inches Up: The overall participation rate rose slightly to 62.6%, still 0.8 percentage points below its pre pandemic level in February 2020.

Earnings Growth Slows: Average hourly earnings for all private nonfarm employees rose by 6 cents (0.2%) to $36.06 in April, bringing the 12 month wage increase to 3.8%. For production and nonsupervisory employees, average hourly earnings increased by 10 cents (0.3%) to $31.06.

Workweek Stability: The average workweek for all private nonfarm employees remained unchanged at 34.3 hours. In manufacturing, the average workweek declined slightly by 0.2 hours to 40.0 hours, with overtime holding steady at 2.9 hours. Among production and nonsupervisory workers, the workweek was unchanged at 33.8 hours.

ADP Reports: 62,000 jobs were added in April.

Source: ADP, BLS, CNBC, Fox News

Job Openings and Labor Turnover: March 2025

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of job openings in March remained relatively unchanged at 7.2 million. Hiring activity held steady at 5.4 million, while total separations, comprising quits, layoffs, and other exits also saw little movement at 5.1 million.

Within separations:

Quits remained flat at 3.3 million, indicating stable worker confidence.

Layoffs and discharges edged down slightly to 1.6 million, suggesting minimal change in involuntary turnover.

This report includes estimates on job openings, hires, and separations across the total nonfarm sector, broken down by industry and establishment size. Job openings reflect all positions available on the last business day of the month, while hires and separations capture all payroll changes occurring throughout the month.

Job Openings, Hires and Separations: March 2025

Job Openings

Job openings held steady at 7.2 million in March but were down by 901,000 compared to the same time last year. The job openings rate remained unchanged at 4.3%. Notably, the number of openings in the federal government sector declined by 36,000.

Hires

Hiring activity was flat in March, with the number of hires unchanged at 5.4 million and a consistent hire rate of 3.4%. Hiring levels remained largely stable across all industries.

Separations

Total separations, which include quits, layoffs and discharges, and other types of exits also held steady at 5.1 million, with the separation rate at 3.2%.

Quits, a measure of voluntary job changes and employee confidence, remained unchanged at 3.3 million, with a quits rate of 2.1%. However, quits declined notably in transportation, warehousing, and utilities (-49,000).

Layoffs and discharges, reflecting involuntary separations, edged down to 1.6 million, with the rate holding at 1.0%. Layoffs decreased in retail trade (-66,000) and the federal government (-11,000), but rose in state and local government excluding education (+17,000).

Other separations, which include retirements, deaths, disabilities, and internal transfers, were little changed at 247,000.

At the government level, total separations increased in state and local government (excluding education) by 28,000, but fell in the federal sector by 8,000.

Establishment Size

Job openings, hiring, and separations remained stable among both the smallest employers (1–9 employees) and the largest (5,000 or more employees), showing little or no change.

February 2025 Revisions

Job openings were revised down by 88,000 to 7.5 million.

Hires were revised down by 26,000 to 5.4 million.

Total separations were revised up by 55,000 to 5.3 million.

-Within separations, quits were revised up by 55,000 to 3.3 million.

– Layoffs and discharges were revised down by 10,000 to 1.8 million.

Note: Monthly revisions reflect additional data received from employers as well as updated seasonal adjustment calculations.

The Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey estimates for April 2025 are scheduled to be released on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).

State of Michigan: Paid Sick Leave Changes for 2025

At Madison Resources, it is our hope that we are perceived as a true partner to your staffing firm. To that end, we are always looking to assist you in providing necessary information, to promote accuracy and efficiencies, and make helpful resources available to you.

What does this mean for you?

On July 31, 2024, the Michigan Supreme Court ruled in Mothering Justice v. Attorney General that the Michigan state legislature’s 2018 adoption and amendment to the Michigan Earned Sick Time Act (MI ESTA) was unconstitutional. As a result, nearly all Michigan employers will be required to provide employees with more generous paid sick leave than what is currently required under Michigan’s current paid sick leave law
called The Paid Medical Leave Act, beginning on February 21, 2025.

The table below highlights the paid sick leave changes that employers will be required to implement for their employees working in Michigan. Please note that the MIESTA requirements in certain instances are significantly more generous to employees than the current MI PMLA requirements.

As the February 21, 2025 effective date approaches for MI ESTA requirements, employers with Michigan-based employees are advised to begin working with their employment and labor counsel now on the following items to ensure compliance:

Review and update, as necessary, leave policies and procedures, taking into account previously excluded employees who will now be eligible for MI ESTA paid sick leave
- Previously exempted employers (those employing 50 or fewer employees) will be required to provide paid sick leave and develop applicable MI ESTA policies and procedures

Review and update, as necessary, attendance and payroll systems especially accounting for the higher accrual amount limits
- o MI ESTA now requires between 40 and 72 hours, depending on employer size (see table above)

Train Human Resources team members and other employees who manage employee leave

Communicate these MI ESTA changes to employees

Monitor the Michigan state webpage for the updated MI ESTA model postings and notices (when available), as well as additional MI ESTA guidance:

https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/ber/wage-andhour/paid-medical-leave-act

How can we help?

For purposes of tracking and paying out this paid leave, please use the SICK pay code. Madison Resources’ systems will accrue this earned leave as directed in the legislation for employees working in the state of Michigan. Additionally, you may view available paid sick leave for your employees in our online reporting system, MOS. For questions on the reporting, please reach out to your payroll specialist.

As always, we recommend speaking with your attorney, CPA, or industry professional for further guidance.

Have Questions?

For more information on Michigan Paid Sick Leave:

https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/ber/wage-andhour/paid-medical-leave-act

To access the FAQ’s:
https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/ber/wage-andhour/paid-medical-leave-act/frequently-asked questions–faqs

Contact Information:
Michigan Department of Labor & Economic Opportunity
Call: (855) 464-9243 or Visit: https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/ber/Wage-and-Hour

Explore our website to find more Legislative Updates. Madison Resources is the premier payroll funding and back office support partner to the staffing industry. Grow with confidence.

State of New Hampshire: Paid Family and Medical Leave Entitlement

New Hampshire employers and workers can participate in the New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave plan (NH PFML), a voluntary insurance plan that provides NH workers with up to 60% wage replacement coverage for up to six (6) weeks per year for specified leaves of absence.

NH PFML is available to all NH employers and NH workers through MetLife, the state’s PFML insurance partner. NH PFML insurance is accessible to employers as a group plan and to workers as an individual plan. Workers may enroll in the NH PFML individual plan for themselves if their employer does not provide NH PFML insurance or equivalent benefits.

NH PFML insurance can be purchased from MetLife either directly or through an insurance agent, broker, or consultant. When purchasing through MetLife, employers can customize certain aspects of their coverage, however, requirements may apply.

Employers who purchase NH PFML insurance through MetLife are eligible to receive a Business Enterprise Tax (BET) credit of up to 50% of the premium they pay on behalf of their workers each year.

What does this mean for you?

NH PFML insurance was established in state law as a voluntary insurance program. Employers are not required to provide NH PFML insurance but will still have responsibilities if their workers enroll in the NH PFML individual plan.

When deciding whether to provide NH PFML to their workers, all employers should:

Research NH PFML by visiting the New Hampshire’s Paid Family and Medical Leave website or contacting an agent, broker, or consultant

Consider the BET credit for 50% of the portion of the NH PFML insurance premium paid by an employer for up to (6) weeks of coverage each year

Recognize that eligible NH workers can enroll in the NH PFML individual plan if the employer does not offer a NH PFML group plan or equivalent benefit plans

When NH PFML insurance is in effect, either through an employer or a worker purchased plan, all employers will need to:

Provide support for enrolled workers. MetLife will provide employers with enrollment materials they can use to assist their workers. If NH PFML is 100% employer paid, workers will be automatically enrolled in the employer’s plan

Make applicable premium payment arrangements with MetLife, which may involve taking payroll deductions

Address worker questions and direct workers to MetLife to file a claim

Provide wage and leave information, work schedules and other benefits information to MetLife to support claims processing

Establish a process to continue existing benefits when a worker has a NH PFML insurance claim

Not discriminate or retaliate against any worker for accessing NH PFML benefits

Specific responsibilities are determined based on whether an employer is considered a large or small employer. Large employers are those with 50+ workers, and small employers are those with 50 or fewer workers. Complete the following steps to determine if you qualify as a large employer or small employer. The
workforce size assessment will apply for the policy year.

At the time of your enrollment, count your total NH workers (not total U.S. workers) for each of the past four quarters

Divide that total by four to calculate an average across all four quarters.

if the average is 50 or greater, your qualify as a large employer; if the average is less than 50, you qualify as a small employer.

Qualifying Common Life Events:

Under NH PFML, a serious health condition is defined as:

Conditions requiring inpatient care

Incapacity for more than three (3) days with continuing treatment by a health care provider

Incapacity relating to pregnancy or prenatal care

Permanent or long-term incapacity

Certain conditions requiring multiple treatment, and Chronic serious health conditions that may prevent a person from working for a minimum of four (4) hours, for example, a person with epilepsy may not be able to work due to an epileptic episode

Under NH PFML, a family member means a:

Child including biological, adoptive, foster or stepchild, legal ward, or child of a person standing in loco parentis who is under 18 years of age or 18 years of age or older and incapable of self-care because of a mental or physical disability

Child’s spouse or domestic partner

Spouse of domestic partner

Parent including biological, adoptive, foster or stepparent, or legal guardian of the worker or the worker’s spouse or domestic partner

Grandparent including biological, adoptive, foster or step grandparent

How can we help?

Madison Resources, as your payroll service provider, will deduct employee contributions from your enrolled employee’s paycheck during payroll processing and remit those funds back to you for further remittance to MetLife.

As always, we recommend speaking with your attorney, CPA, or industry professional for further guidance.

For more information:

To access the NH PFML site:
https://www.paidfamilymedicalleave.nh.gov/employers

To access the Employer Toolkit:
https://www.paidfamilymedicalleave.nh.gov/employers/employer-toolkit

To access the Employer Guidebook:
https://www.paidfamilymedicalleave.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt781/files/documents/nh-pfml-employer-toolkit_0.pdf

To access the Employer NH PFML Fact Sheet:
https://www.paidfamilymedicalleave.nh.gov/sites/g/files/ehbemt781/files/documents/nh-pfml-fact-sheet_6.2.23.pdf

To access the Employer FAQ’s:
https://www.paidfamilymedicalleave.nh.gov/employers/frequently-asked-questions

Contact Information:

For additional information and questions, contact:
MetLife Customer Solution Center for NH PFML
1-866-595-PFML (7365)

Explore our website to find more Legislative Updates. Madison Resources is the premier payroll funding and back office support partner to the staffing industry. Grow with confidence.

State of Massachusetts: Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure Requirement

As a reminder, the Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) form is a state reporting requirement in Massachusetts, which was originally launched in 2018. State law requires every in-state and out-of-state employer who had six or more employees within Massachusetts during the past 12 months, to annually submit a HIRD form, which collects information about your employer-sponsored insurance offerings. The HIRD reporting requirement is administered by MassHealth and the Department of Revenue through your MassTaxConnect (MTC) account.

The HIRD form will assist MassHealth in identifying its members with access to qualifying employer-sponsored insurance who may be eligible for the MassHealth Premium Assistance Program.

What does this mean for you?

The HIRD form will be available to employers to be filled out electronically starting November 15th and must be completed by December 15th of the reporting year.

To complete your HIRD form:

Login to your MassTaxConnect (MTC) account
Scroll down to the Withholding Tax section of the Summary page
Select the File a health insurance responsibility disclosure hyperlink

How Can We Help?

If you have trouble locating your login credentials that you provided to Madison Resources previously, you may contact the Payroll Tax Supervisor, Sandra Drapeau, at the following email address: SDrapeau@madisonresources.com. She can provide you with your User Name and Password to access your account and complete the form.

As always, we recommend speaking with your attorney, CPA, or industry professional for further guidance.

For more information:

To access the FAQ’s:
HIRD FAQs

Contact Information:

To speak to a representative of the Department of Revenue’s Customer Service Center:

Call: (617) 466-3940 and choose the option to speak with a HIRD representative.

The toll-free line available is: (800) 392-6089

Explore our website to find more Legislative Updates. Madison Resources is the premier payroll funding and back office support partner to the staffing industry. Grow with confidence.

State of Vermont: Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI)

Governor Phil Scott and The Hartford, a leading provider of employee benefits and leave management, will begin offering the Vermont Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI) program for employers on February 15, 2025. Employers with two or more employees will have the opportunity to design a plan to fit the needs of their employees and business, with benefits beginning on July 1, 2025.

The FMLI benefits provide partial income replacement for workers who need to take care of a family member with a serious health condition, care for a military service member’s serious injury or illness, or address certain needs related to a family member’s covered active military duty or call to active duty. This program is voluntary.

What does this mean for you?

The FMLI plans are flexible, which allow employers who opt in to design a plan that best meets the needs of their business and employees. Some key features include:

Option to provide family and medical leave combined or stand-alone family leave insurance;

Contributions can be fully paid by the employer, split between the employer and employees, or fully paid for by the employees as a voluntary benefit;

Benefit duration options of 6 to 26 weeks per 12-month period; and Sixty to 70% wage replacement, with additional options available with underwriting review.

The first phase of this program was implemented for Vermont State employees in July 2023. In the final phase of the program, FMLI benefits will be made available for individual workers in the state of Vermont who do not have access to them through their employer, self-employed individuals, and employers with fewer than two
employees, to purchase in 2025 with benefits beginning on July 1, 2025.

The Hartford offers two products to employers: VT Family and Medical Leave Insurance (VT FMLI) and VT Family Leave Insurance (VT FLI). Both VT FMLI and VT FLI may provide a combined six weeks of paid leave benefits in a 12-month period for the following life events:

VT FMLI:

Bond with a new child (newborn, adoption, and/or foster placement)

Care for a family member with a serious health condition

Military exigency

Care for a military service member

Recover from childbirth

Recover from their own serious health condition

VT FLI:

Bond with a new child (newborn, adoption, and/or foster placement)

Care for a family member with a serious health condition

Military exigency

Care for a military service member

How can we help?

Vermont’s FMLI program is non-mandatory, that is, no law requires employers to provide family or medical leave to their employees. Vermont’s business can choose whether to add FMLI to their slate of employee benefits. If you decide to offer paid leave through The Hartford’s insurance program and are funding it will either a full or partial employee deduction, Madison Resources, as your payroll service provider, can deduct employee contributions from the enrolled employee’s paychecks during payroll processing and remit those funds back to you for further remittance to The Hartford.

As always, we recommend speaking with your attorney, CPA, or industry professional for further guidance.

For more information:

To access the VT FMLI site:
https://www.thehartford.com/paid-family-medical-leave/vt

To access the Employer VT FMLI Fact Sheet:
https://ewcstatic.thehartford.com/fmli/documents/Plan%20Information%20Flyer%2010-24.pdf

To access the VT FMLI Employer Page:
https://fmli.thehartford.com/vtemployers

To access the VT FMLI FAQ’s:
https://ewcstatic.thehartford.com/fmli/documents/FAQ%20Flyer.pdf

Contact Information:

Office of Governor Phil Scott
109 State Street, Pavilion
Montpelier, VT 05609
Phone: (802) 828-3333 (TTY: 800 649-6825)

Explore our website to find more Legislative Updates. Madison Resources is the premier payroll funding and back office support partner to the staffing industry. Grow with confidence.

State of Maryland: Pay Statement and Pay Transparency Laws

At Madison Resources, it is our hope that we are perceived as a true partner to your staffing
firm. To that end, we are always looking to assist you in providing necessary information to
promote accuracy, efficiency, and make helpful resources available to you.

The State of Maryland passed two new laws in the 2024 General Assembly Session, effective October 1, 2024. The Pay Transparency Law requires employers to provide information about compensation and benefits in their job postings. The Pay Stub and Pay Statement law requires employers to provide written notice of pay,
paydays, leave benefits, and also provide a written or online pay statement each payday that includes information about hours, rates, compensation, and deductions.

What does this mean for you?

Currently, Maryland law requires employers to provide the wage range for a position only if requested by an applicant. As further explained by the Department of Labor in its recent guidance, under the new Wage Range Transparency law, employers are required to include the wage range, a general description of benefits, and any other applicable compensation in internal and external job postings. If the posting is not available to the applicant prior to the filing of their application, it must be provided to the applicant before any discussion of compensation takes place with the applicant and at any other time the applicant requests it.

An employer’s wage range must include the minimum and maximum salary or hourly rate for compensation for the job, promotion, or transfer opportunity that the employer in good faith believes to be accurate at the time of posting. This may be any applicable pay scale, any previously determined range of wages for the position, the actual range of pay for current employees holding comparable positions, or the amount budgeted by the employer for the position. If an employer offers a fixed rate of pay, the employer must include the fixed rate in the posting.

The “general description of benefits” required to be provided in job postings includes employer-provided insurance, paid or unpaid time off work, retirement or savings funds or employer-funded pension plans, or other forms of compensation such as the value of employer-provided meals or lodging. The “any other compensation offered” required to be provided includes any other earnings or monetary compensation that an employee may receive as payment in return for work performed including but not limited to overtime, compensatory time, differentials, premium pay, tips, commissions, bonuses, stock or stock options, and any portion of service charges.

Employers should note that an advertised range of pay must be for a single position in a single location. If a posting involves multiple locations or opportunities at different levels of seniority, a separate range of pay must be posted for each location or opportunity. This law also applies to the reposting of a position. The employer may change the terms of the position in the posting if made in good faith.

The Wage Range Transparency law applies to newspaper advertisements and printed flyers, social media posts, emails sent to more than one applicant or sent through an electronic mailing list, advertisements published through any other medium, and postings done on behalf of the employer. Any position where work will be physically performed, at least in part, in Maryland is covered by this law. However, positions where an employee only occasionally works in the state (for example, attending meetings and conferences or communicating with Maryland-based employees) are not covered.

At the time of hire, employers are currently required to provide notice of certain information relative to rate of pay, paydays, leave benefits, and a statement of gross earnings of the employee and deductions from those gross earnings for each pay period. Effective October 1, 2024, the Pay Stub and Pay Statement law now requires employers to provide these notices of rates of pay, paydays and leave benefits in writing.

The Pay Stub and Pay Statement law requires that employers provide employees with a written or online pay statement each payday. These statements must include certain information: the employer’s name, address, telephone number, date of payment, dates of the pay period, number of hours worked during the pay period
(unless the employee is exempt from federal and state overtime requirements), all rates of pay, all additional bases and amounts of pay (bonuses, commission, etc.), applicable piece rates of pay and the number of pieces completed at each piece rate, gross and net pay earned during the pay period, and the amount and description of each deduction made from pay.

These requirements cannot be waived by the employee. Employers must provide notice of any decrease in an employee’s rate of wage at least one pay period in advance. Wages may be increased without advance notice.

Employers should review and update their onboarding procedures and paystubs to include the information required by these laws, ensuring compliance by the October 1, 2024 deadline. It is also recommended that employers notify and train HR and payroll staff on the new requirements. Employers should also ensure job postings meet all necessary obligations under the Wage Range Transparency.

Individual employees do not have the authority to sue under these laws, however, the Commissioner of Labor may order employers to comply and impose penalties of $500.00 per employee who did not receive the required notice of information for the Wage Transparency obligation.

How can we help?

The paper pay stubs and online pay statements provided by Madison Resources systems are compliant with the requirements of the Pay Stub and Pay Statement law. We recommend that all employers with employees working within the State of Maryland review their onboarding process and their job postings for compliance of the Wage Transparency law.

As always, we recommend speaking with your attorney, CPA, or industry professional for further guidance.

Have Questions?

To access the FAQ’s:
https://labor.maryland.gov/labor/wages/esswagerangefaq.shtml

Contact Information

For questions and additional information, contact the Wage and Labor Standards Enforcement Unit at:
Phone: (410) 767-2357 (English)
Phone: (410) 767-2370 (Spanish)
Email: workrights@maryland.gov
Mail: Maryland Department of Labor
1100 North Eutaw Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

Explore our website to find more Legislative Updates. Madison Resources is the premier payroll funding and back office support partner to the staffing industry. Grow with confidence.

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U.S Jobs Report April 2025

State of Michigan: Paid Sick Leave Changes for 2025

State of New Hampshire: Paid Family and Medical Leave Entitlement

State of Massachusetts: Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure Requirement

State of Vermont: Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FMLI)

State of Maryland: Pay Statement and Pay Transparency Laws

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