U.S. job gains in year through March revised down 150,000

The U.S. economy likely created 150,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months through March than previously estimated, the Labor Department said on Wednesday. The reading, which is a preliminary estimate of the department's annual "benchmark" revision to closely watched payrolls data, showed the retail, wholesale trade, education and professional and business services sectors accounted for the bulk of the downward revision. Once a year, the government compares its nonfarm payrolls data, based on monthly s