The unemployment rate holds steady

The latest version of the Quikrete Industry Dashboard reveals a continuation of a tight labor market, with the national unemployment rate holding steady at 3.5 percent.

The employment data, released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, also showed a 9,000 job decline for building material and garden equipment and supplies dealers (NAICS 444) in the latest month. Overall, nonfarm payroll employment rose by 236,000 in March.

Employment showed little change in construction and manufacturing, according to the bureau.

[Read more at: Construction loses 9,000 jobs in March.]

Elsewhere on the Quikrete Industry Dashboard, the average price for a gallon of regular gas stands at $3.55, according to the American Automobile Association. That's up from $3.41 a month ago, and down from $4.16 a year ago.

On Wall Street, hardware and building supply stocks tracked by HBSDealer gravitated toward negative territory—with the exception of TSCO, up 3 percent for the month and up 6.7 percent for the year.

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Coming next: The Census Bureau's Advance Monthly Retail Trade report, including the latest sales data for NAICS 444-classified businesses, will be released Friday, April 14.