WASHINGTON -- Employers boosted payrolls by a better-than-expected 132,000 jobs in June, enough to keep the unemployment rate at a relatively low 4.5 percent. It was another sign that the economy is snapping out of a nearly yearlong sluggish spell.
The latest picture of the nation's employment climate, released by the Labor Department on Friday, also showed that workers saw solid gains in their wages last month.
The tally of 132,000 new jobs was stronger than the 125,000 that economists were forecasting. They did, however, predict that job growth would be sufficient to hold the unemployment rate at 4.5 percent, where it has stood for three straight months.
New hiring in the areas of education, health services, leisure and hospitality and government drove overall job growth last month. Construction companies also expanded employment. Those gains swamped job cuts at factories, retailers and certain professional and business services.
Meanwhile, the economy added more jobs in April and May than the government previously thought. Revised figures released Friday showed that payrolls grew by a strong 190,000 in May, much stronger than the 157,000 reported last month. In April, 122,000 positions were added, which was better than the 80,000 previously reported, which had been the fewest in two and a half years.
Workers saw modest wage gains in June. Average hourly earning rose to $17.38, a 0.3 percent increase from May. That matched the rise anticipated by economists. Over the last 12 months, wages grew by 3.9 percent.
The Federal Reserve last week noted that there have been some improvements on some inflation readings but made clear that it is not letting down its guard on this front. The biggest danger to the economy is if inflation doesn't recede as the Fed anticipates, Fed policymakers said.
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