iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — U.S. employers added 227,000 jobs to their payrolls last month, the Labor Department reported Friday morning. It’s the agency’s first employment report released during the Trump administration.
The report exceeded expectations, as economists had expected to see only around 175,000 jobs added in January.
The unemployment rate, meanwhile, moved up slightly to 4.8 percent from 4.7 percent in December. A broader measure of unemployment — U6 — which included those who are part time for economic reasons, also rose slightly to 9.4 percent.
Most of the job gains came from retail trade, construction and financial activities.
As for wages, average hourly earnings were a disappointment, rising just 3 cents in January to $26, compared to a 6-cent increase in December.
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