Poll: Job creation hits new high in April

A U.S. job creation index hit a new high in April, according to a Gallup survey released Wednesday.

The index reached +31, which is above the +30 high from September of last year. Gallup’s latest figure is two points up from the reading recorded in March.

Gallup’s index hit a low of -5 twice in 2009 and has gradually climbed over the last six years since the recession.

{mosads}In 2014, the index experienced steady increases, from +19 in January to +27 in May. Since that time, it has hovered around the +27 to +29 range.

The index measures net hiring activity and the +31 reading from April stems from 43 percent of employees reporting that their employer is hiring workers or expanding their companies and 12 percent reporting that their employer is letting workers go or reducing the size of their workforce.

Since Gallup began measuring the index in 2008, it found that for the first time, index scores are at least +30 in all four regions of the country.

The poll comes as an ADP National Employment Report released Wednesday found private-sector employers slowed hiring again in April.

Gallup’s survey polled more than 16,000 full-time and part-time workers between April 1-30 with a 1-point margin of error.