Nonfarm Payrolls rise by 228,000 in March vs. 135,000 forecast
Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) in the US rose by 228,000 in March, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported on Friday. This reading followed the 117,000 increase (revised from 151,000) recorded in February and surpassed the market expectation of 135,000 by a wide margin.
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Other details of the report showed that the Unemployment Rate edged higher to 4.2% from 4.1%, while the Labor Force Participation Rate ticked up to 62.5% from 62.4%. Finally, annual wage inflation, as measured by the change in the Average Hourly Earnings, declined to 3.8% from 4%.
Market reaction to Nonfarm Payrolls data
The US Dollar (USD) Index showed no immediate reaction to these figures and was last seen posting small daily gains at 102.05.
US Dollar PRICE This week
The table below shows the percentage change of US Dollar (USD) against listed major currencies this week. US Dollar was the weakest against the Swiss Franc.
| USD | EUR | GBP | JPY | CAD | AUD | NZD | CHF | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USD | -2.01% | -0.67% | -2.87% | -0.66% | 2.74% | 1.32% | -3.13% | |
| EUR | 2.01% | 1.46% | -0.77% | 1.41% | 4.93% | 3.45% | -1.10% | |
| GBP | 0.67% | -1.46% | -2.26% | -0.01% | 3.40% | 1.99% | -2.48% | |
| JPY | 2.87% | 0.77% | 2.26% | 2.22% | 5.78% | 4.32% | -0.39% | |
| CAD | 0.66% | -1.41% | 0.01% | -2.22% | 3.46% | 2.02% | -2.48% | |
| AUD | -2.74% | -4.93% | -3.40% | -5.78% | -3.46% | -1.38% | -5.74% | |
| NZD | -1.32% | -3.45% | -1.99% | -4.32% | -2.02% | 1.38% | -4.41% | |
| CHF | 3.13% | 1.10% | 2.48% | 0.39% | 2.48% | 5.74% | 4.41% |
The heat map shows percentage changes of major currencies against each other. The base currency is picked from the left column, while the quote currency is picked from the top row. For example, if you pick the US Dollar from the left column and move along the horizontal line to the Japanese Yen, the percentage change displayed in the box will represent USD (base)/JPY (quote).
This section below was published as a preview of the February Nonfarm Payrolls data at 06:00 GMT.
- Nonfarm Payrolls are forecast to rise by 135K in March, following a 151K gain reported in February.
- The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the jobs data on Friday at 12:30 GMT.
- US labor data could impact the Fed’s interest rate path, potentially affecting the US Dollar’s price action.
The all-important United States (US) Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) data for March will be released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday at 12:30 GMT.
Amidst US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies-induced increased recession risks and escalating trade war fears, the details of the March employment report will be closely scrutinised to gauge the Federal Reserve’s (Fed) next interest rate move and the US Dollar’s (USD) performance in the near term.
Trump announced on Wednesday a 10% baseline tariff on most goods imported to the US, with much higher duties on products from dozens of countries, including its major trading partners – China, Japan and the European Union (EU).
What to expect from the next Nonfarm Payrolls report?
Economists expect the Nonfarm Payrolls to rise by 135,000 jobs in March, following a 151,000 job gain in February. The Unemployment Rate (UER) is likely to remain at 4.1% during the same period.
Meanwhile, Average Hourly Earnings (AHE), a closely watched measure of wage inflation, are expected to increase by 3.8% year-over-year (YoY) in March, following a 4.0% growth in February.
Following the March policy meeting, the Fed left its benchmark policy rate in the 4.25%-4.50% range, but the Bank’s updated quarterly projections, the so-called Dot Plot chart, signalled two interest rate cuts this year. The Fed also raised its inflation forecast while lowering its growth and employment outlook due to the impact of Trump’s tariffs, fueling concerns about potential stagflation in the US.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, in his post-policy press conference, stated that “uncertainty around policy changes and economic effects is high” due to US tariffs. “If the labor market weakens, we can ease if needed,” Powell noted before quickly adding that “we are not going to be in any hurry to move on rate cuts.”
Therefore, the March jobs data will likely hold the key to gauging the US labor market conditions, which could alter expectations for this year’s Fed rate cuts. Markets are fully pricing in the US central bank’s likely resumption of its rate-cutting cycle in June.
Previewing the March employment report, TD Securities analysts said: “Payrolls likely lost modest momentum in March amid rising uncertainty around the US economic outlook and given DOGE-related layoffs.”
“We also look for the UE rate to rise for a second month straight to 4.2%,” they added.
How will US March Nonfarm Payrolls affect EUR/USD?
The US Dollar has been on the losing end against its major currency rivals due to heightened fears of a recession, primarily driven by US President Trump’s aggressive tariff policies. Will the US NFP report help change the USD’s fate?
Earlier in the week, the BLS reported that the JOLTS Job Openings declined to 7.56 million in February, down from 7.76 million in January. The reading hit the lowest level since September 2024. Meanwhile, the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) published data on Wednesday, which showed that the American private sector added 155,000 jobs in March, a sharp increase from the upwardly revised 84,000 in February and better than the forecast for 105,000.
That said, the stakes are high as the US employment data release approaches, amid increased expectations that the Fed will need to opt for aggressive rate cuts in the wake of the economic fallout from Trump’s tariffs.
Hence, a disappointing labor market report, with an NFP reading below 120,000, could bring forward expectations for a May Fed rate cut. In this scenario, the USD is expected to see a fresh leg lower, driving EUR/USD further northward. Conversely, market participants could refrain from pricing in a May rate cut if the NFP data offers a positive surprise with a reading above 150,000.
Dhwani Mehta, Asian Session Lead Analyst at FXStreet, offers a brief technical outlook for EUR/USD:
“The main currency pair trades close to its highest level in seven months above the 1.1050 level, with the 14-day Relative Strength Index (RSI) holding within the overbought region. This suggests that there is a scope for a fresh pullback. Buyers look for acceptance above the 1.1050 psychological level for a sustained uptrend. Further north, the seven-month high of 1.1147 could be retested.”
“In case EUR/USD fails to sustain above 1.1050, the immediate support will come in at 1.0900. A daily close below this support level could prompt a test of the 21-day Simple Moving Average (SMA) at 1.0860. A deeper correction will likely challenge the 200-day SMA at 1.0731.”
Nonfarm Payrolls FAQs
Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP) are part of the US Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report. The Nonfarm Payrolls component specifically measures the change in the number of people employed in the US during the previous month, excluding the farming industry.
The Nonfarm Payrolls figure can influence the decisions of the Federal Reserve by providing a measure of how successfully the Fed is meeting its mandate of fostering full employment and 2% inflation.
A relatively high NFP figure means more people are in employment, earning more money and therefore probably spending more. A relatively low Nonfarm Payrolls’ result, on the either hand, could mean people are struggling to find work.
The Fed will typically raise interest rates to combat high inflation triggered by low unemployment, and lower them to stimulate a stagnant labor market.
Nonfarm Payrolls generally have a positive correlation with the US Dollar. This means when payrolls’ figures come out higher-than-expected the USD tends to rally and vice versa when they are lower.
NFPs influence the US Dollar by virtue of their impact on inflation, monetary policy expectations and interest rates. A higher NFP usually means the Federal Reserve will be more tight in its monetary policy, supporting the USD.
Nonfarm Payrolls are generally negatively-correlated with the price of Gold. This means a higher-than-expected payrolls’ figure will have a depressing effect on the Gold price and vice versa.
Higher NFP generally has a positive effect on the value of the USD, and like most major commodities Gold is priced in US Dollars. If the USD gains in value, therefore, it requires less Dollars to buy an ounce of Gold.
Also, higher interest rates (typically helped higher NFPs) also lessen the attractiveness of Gold as an investment compared to staying in cash, where the money will at least earn interest.
Nonfarm Payrolls is only one component within a bigger jobs report and it can be overshadowed by the other components.
At times, when NFP come out higher-than-forecast, but the Average Weekly Earnings is lower than expected, the market has ignored the potentially inflationary effect of the headline result and interpreted the fall in earnings as deflationary.
The Participation Rate and the Average Weekly Hours components can also influence the market reaction, but only in seldom events like the “Great Resignation” or the Global Financial Crisis.
