Barbara Boland
The U.S. economy added 222,000 jobs in June, and the unemployment rate held at 4.4 percent, according to a government report Friday. Job growth has averaged approximately 180,000 per month in 2017, slightly above the 187,000 mark in 2016.Wages remained stagnant, rising only a sluggish 0.2 percent. Hourly earnings on an annualized basis grew 2.5 percent.
Full-time positions grew by 355,000. Job growth was greatest in the health care sector, followed by professional and business services, and social assistance.
Although the labor-force participation rate is up to 62.8 percent, another measure of unemployment which includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time positions but who are seeking full-time work rose from 8.4 to 8.6 percent.
