U.S. economy sheds 80,000 jobs in March

The U.S. employers cut payrolls for a third month in a row
in March, slashing 80,000 jobs for the biggest monthly job decline in five
years as the economy headed into a downturn, government data on Friday showed.

The Labor Department revised the first two months of the
year’s job losses to a total of 152,000 from a previous estimate of 85,000. The
March unemployment rate jumped to 5.1 % from 4.8 %, the highest since a
matching rate in September 2005.

The March job report was more bleak than expected.
Economists polled ahead of the report forecast a decline of 60,000 in non-farm
payrolls and a rise in the unemployment rate to 5 %.

During the first quarter of this year job losses averaged
77,000 a month, compared to average monthly gains of 76,000 in the last half of
2007, according to Keith Hall, Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner.

Job losses were widespread during the month, with the
biggest losses in the construction and manufacturing sectors.