In April, the manufacturing sector experienced a contraction after a brief period of expansion, as reported by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). ISM’s purchasing manager’s index (PMI) dropped to 49.2% from March’s 50.3%, marking a return to contraction after one month of growth. Despite this, the overall economy continued its expansion, maintaining a streak that started in May 2020. The Employment Index showed a slight improvement, rising to 48.6% in April from the previous month’s 47.4%.