Unemployment edged upward in April

"Unemployment edged upward in April and job creation fell to the lowest pace in two years, an expected sign that slow economic growth is starting to take a toll on the country's labor market.

As Wall Street digested a spate of merger talks... new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed the unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent, from 4.4 percent in March...

Overall the economy added 88,000 jobs during the month, a tepid performance compared to the 129,000 jobs added on average so far this year and the 189,000 jobs per month added in 2006. Continued job losses in the manufacturing and retail sectors were offset by continued hiring in the health-care industry and by the government."