The average work week for all workers held at 34.5.
The so-called underemployment rate -- which includes part- time workers who'd prefer a full-time position and people who want work but have given up looking -- held at 14.5 percent.
Long-Term Unemployed
The report also showed a drop in long-term unemployed Americans. The number of people unemployed for 27 weeks or more decreased as a percentage of all jobless, to 41.3 percent.
The number of temporary workers increased 21,100. Payroll at temporary-help agencies often slow as companies seeing a steady increase in demand take on permanent staff.
Faster economic growth would help lay the groundwork for more hiring. The economy expanded at a 2.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter after a 3 percent pace the prior three months, the Commerce Department reported last week. Consumer spending grew 2.9 percent, the most in more than a year.
Chrysler Group LLC, the automaker controlled by Fiat SpA, said it will accelerate the addition of 1,100 jobs and a third crew of workers by hiring them in November, pulling ahead plans for increasing production in early 2013. Earlier this week, it also said four plants will skip normally scheduled two-week midyear shutdowns to meet increased demand.
Forecast Raised
General Motors Co., the top-selling automaker in the U.S., raised its forecast for full-year U.S. light-vehicle sales.
"Over time, we believe that strength in the manufacturing sector and strong retail sales will continue to lead to more job creation," Don Johnson, vice president of U.S. sales at GM, said on a May 1 conference call with analysts. "That's going to help more consumers put the recession behind them, gaining even more confidence and drive vehicle sales higher."