J-O-B-S

Hirings in manufacturing and health-care industries boosted the national payroll in March though companies were more likely to take on temporary workers than full-time employees. “Payrolls rose by 162,000 workers, the third gain in the past five months and the most since March 2007, figures from the Labor Department showed yesterday in Washington. The increase included 48,000 temporary workers hired by the government to conduct the census. Unemployment was 9.7 percent for a third month. Manufacturers, health-care companies, temporary-help service providers and warehouses were among those adding jobs in a sign the expansion is becoming more entrenched. The jobless rate was unchanged even after Americans who had previously dropped out of the workforce decided to resume the job search, pointing to growing confidence that the world’s largest economy will continue to grow.”