The U.S. economy added 224,000 jobs in June, far exceeding economists' forecast of about 170,000 and marking a strong rebound from May's weak 75,000-job gain.
The Labor Department also reported Friday that the unemployment rate rose to 3.7 percent from 3.6 percent, as an additional 300,000 people entered the work force looking for jobs. The new figure is still near a 50-year low. The June job gains were well above the level economists view as enough to expand the labor force. The average wage increased by 6 cents to $27.90 an hour, and the 12-month rate of hourly wage gains remained unchanged at 3.1 percent.
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