The Conference Board’s employment trends index increased in March to a reading of 117.52, up from February’s upwardly revised reading of 117.01. The March reading is up 5.1 percent from the same month a year ago.

“The increase in the Employment Trends Index in the first quarter is signaling solid job growth in the coming months,” said Gad Levanon, director of macroeconomic research at The Conference Board. “With GDP forecasted to average 2.5 to 3.0 percent through the end of this year, there is little reason to expect employment growth to slow any time soon.”