(CNN) -
The recovery of the US economy from the pandemic strengthened in March.
The US added 916,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported on Friday.
The increase in jobs was higher than the revised increase of 468,000 jobs reported in February.
The unemployment rate improved to 6%, compared to 6.2% in February.
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But while some sectors have returned to their pre-pandemic employment levels, the overall U.S. economy still has more than 8 million fewer jobs than before the COVID-19-related job losses began a year ago.
The March job increase was also much better than economists predicted, who had expected a strong but even more modest increase of 647,000 jobs.
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Some of the sectors that made big improvements are among those hardest hit by the closures associated with the pandemic, including restaurants and bars, which added 176,000 jobs.
State and local education jobs increased by 126,000 as schools began to reopen.
Hotels and other accommodations added 40,000 jobs, and the category that includes performing arts, spectator sports and amusement parks added 64,000.
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Other big gains came in sectors that did well last year, despite the recession.
Construction added 110,000 jobs, as commercial projects increased and home construction continued to prosper.
Delivery services such as FedEx and UPS, which had already posted the biggest job gains last year due to the surge in online shopping, added another 17,000 jobs.
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