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WASHINGTON, April 7 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. economy added 236,000 jobs in March, signaling that the jobs market may be starting to cool, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

That"s a significant drop from the previous month"s gain of 311,000 jobs.

The jobless rate for March slid slightly to 3.5 percent from February"s 3.6 percent, the data showed.

In March, government employment increased by 47,000, health care added 34,000 jobs, and job growth also occurred in home health care services and social assistance, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employment changed little in transportation, but job losses were recorded in retail trade, building material, furniture, home furnishings, electronics, and appliance retailers.

This occurred after around a year of aggressive rate hikes by the U.S. Federal Reserve, in a bid to battle the worst inflation in decades.