WASHINGTON - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Friday the semiconductor shortage was a factor in April's jobs report that showed hiring unexpectedly slowed.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics said the auto sector shed 27,000 jobs in April as automakers were forced to cancel production shifts and furlough workers amid the chips shortage.

"We're working very hard to get the president's plan passed in Congress to fund a semiconductor fund. The fact of the matter is we need to get back into the business of making more chips in America. And the supply chain issues are very real," Raimondo told MSNBC.

  - Reuters