Hiring rises in April

Hiring around the country picked up briskly in April, with employers boosting payrolls by 274,000 and raising hopes of better days ahead for job seekers and the economy as a whole. The unemployment rate held steady at 5.2 percent.

The latest snapshot of the nation’s employment climate, released Friday by the Labor Department, eased fears about the economy getting stuck in the soggy spot it hit in March.

April’s payroll growth marked an improvement from the 146,000 new jobs created in March.

Above, job seekers line up to interview with companies at the annual Asian Diversity Career Expo on Friday in New York.

Legislation

Microsoft supports gay-rights effort

After being criticized for quietly dropping support for a state gay rights bill, Microsoft Corp. chief executive Steve Ballmer told employees Friday that management would publicly back such legislation in the future.

Ballmer’s commitment came two weeks after activists accused the company of caving to pressure from an evangelical pastor who had threatened to launch a nationwide boycott of the software company.

Economy

Borrowing growth dips

Americans increased their borrowing for auto loans and other types of consumer debt at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in March, the smallest gain in four months, the Federal Reserve reported Friday.

The March increase represented a rise in consumer credit of $5.52 billion, below the $6 billion increase that economists had been forecasting. It followed a $5.79 billion increase in consumer debt in February.

The 3.1 percent increase at an annual rate in March followed a 3.3 percent rise in February and a huge 6.5 percent surge in January.

Finance

Tax revenues up for H&R Block

Tax preparation services provider H&R Block Inc. said Friday it expected full-year operating earnings to be near the low end of its range of $3.50 to $4 per share.

On average, analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are looking for profit of $3.54 per share on sales of $2.34 billion in the quarter.

The Kansas City, Mo.-based company also said it wrapped up a solid tax season in its U.S. retail operations, delivering a 7.3 percent increase in total tax preparation and related fees from Jan. 1 through April 15.

H&R Block said total tax fees were $2.4 billion, while total clients served in its U.S. retail offices were essentially flat to the prior year.

Average fees per client increased 7.4 percent to $150, reflecting a greater-than-planned level of tax complexity.