Camp: Census hiring distorts April jobs number

Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), the ranking Ways and Means member, cautioned against too much exuberance on the economy adding 290,000 jobs in April since the temporary hiring of Census workers skews the total.  

"The appearance of even a large number of temporary Census jobs will only briefly mask, but not solve,... ongoing challenges," he said in prepared remarks, adding, "So while any positive job number will be welcome, it will be important to focus on where job growth is occurring." 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects the Census will employ over 700,000 people by the end of May to help contact individuals who did not respond to the Census survey. 

The number of Census workers will significantly be reduced after the summer months, according to the BLS. 

The April total is comprised of 231,000 jobs from the private sector and 66,000 from Census hiring, according to the White House.