The number of people voluntarily leaving jobs rose to 1.93 million from 1.91 million in February. The increase may be one sign Americans feel more confident about finding other work. The number of people quitting their jobs in March represented 50 percent of all separations, the same as in February.
In the 12 months ended in March, the economy created a net 1.2 million jobs, representing about 47.6 million hires, compared with about 46.4 million separations, today's report showed.
Compared with the 13.5 million Americans who were unemployed in March, today's figures indicate there were 4.3 people vying for every opening, up from about 1.8 when the recession began in December 2007. The number of jobless rose to 13.7 million in April, pushing the unemployment rate up to 9 percent from 8.8 percent the previous month, the Labor Department reported last week.
Some companies are adding to payrolls. General Motors Co. said it will invest about $2 billion in U.S. assembly and component plants, creating or preserving about 4,000 jobs at 17 facilities in eight states.
While payrolls have grown each month since October, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke on April 27 said central bankers would like to see more strength in the U.S. job market and that the recovery has been "quite slow."
"The labor market is improving gradually," Bernanke said to reporters during the first-ever press conference following a Federal Open Market Committee meeting. "We would like to make sure that that is sustainable."