The U.S. economy added 177,000 jobs in April, surpassing economists’ expectations and signaling continued resilience in the labor market despite looming economic uncertainties, according to a report released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

The unemployment rate remained steady at 4.2%, aligning with forecasts, while the labor force participation rate also held firm at 62.7%, BLS reported. Economists surveyed by FactSet had anticipated a more modest gain of 135,000 jobs, making April’s figures a notable beat, as reported by CNN. The job growth, though slightly slower than March’s revised total of 185,000, reflects a labor market that has remained a pillar of strength since its recovery from the pandemic’s economic fallout.

The U.S. Department of Labor celebrated the numbers in a statement on X, posting, “The jobs report once again beat expectations, with 177,000 new jobs added in April!”

April’s job gains were roughly in line with the average monthly increase of 152,000 jobs over the past 12 months, the BLS noted in its report.

The report also highlighted stability among those not in the labor force, with 1.6 million people classified as marginally attached—meaning they wanted a job, were available to work, and had looked for employment in the past year but not in the prior four weeks. Of those, 414,000 were discouraged workers who believed no jobs were available for them, a figure that changed little from March.

Despite the positive data, economic analysts pointed to underlying concerns.

“The narrative that we’re hearing from the corporate community is that we want to wait and see,” Nathan Sheets, global chief economist at Citigroup, told CNN. “And even if folks are optimistic, they will ultimately land in an okay place, they still want to see what everything will look like, which could weigh on business investment.”

The labor market’s performance comes amid growing recession fears, though the BLS data suggests a historic expansion continues. On Tuesday, the Labor Department reported 7.2 million job openings in March, a slight uptick from a four-year low in September, indicating that opportunities remain available for workers.

Stocks rose Friday morning as investors reacted positively to the jobs report, according to CNN.