Many new jobs in the US, but job market still challenging

Analysts had expected an average of 65,000 new jobs, according to a Bloomberg News compilation.

In February, 133,000 jobs outside the agricultural sector were lost - after there were 160,000 new jobs in January.

Unemployment in March fell to 4.3 percent. Expectations were 4.4 percent, the same as in February.

"The bottom line is that March was somewhat encouraging, but it has been a difficult year for the labor market," Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, told CNBC.

She said the rest of the first half of the year will be very challenging for job seekers.

Corrected: An earlier version stated the wrong job development in February.