WASHINGTON - The United States added a better-than-expected 195,000 jobs in June, and job growth in prior months was revised higher, official data released Friday showed.
The unemployment rate held steady at 7.6% as the number of people in the work force continued to rise, the Labor Department said.
The jobs gain in June was better than the average monthly increase of 182,000 over the last year.
The June jobs number was well above the analyst consensus estimate of 166,000 jobs, while the jobless rate had been expected to remain at 7.6%.
In a further encouraging sign of improvement in the labor market, the Labor Department revised April and May jobs numbers higher, saying the combined gains in those months were 70,000 higher than previously estimated.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2013
