US employers added almost a quarter million workers in May, extending a nine-month hiring spree and accommodating enough new jobseekers to hold the unemployment rate steady at 5.6 per cent.
Payrolls swelled by almost one million in the last three months alone, the Labor Department said this afternoon. Employment figures for March and April were revised up to reflect the addition of 353,000 and 346,000 jobs respectively.
But because tens of thousands of jobless are renewing their search for work in the wake of an improving labour market, the overall, seasonally adjusted civilian unemployment rate did not improve from April's 5.6 per cent figure.
Nonetheless, the snapshot of the US employment situation in May met the expectations of most private analysts and fuelled anticipation of an increase in interest rates when the Federal Reserve meets at the end of this month.
The Fed's main interest rate has been at a 46-year low of 1 percent, but analysts expect that to end with the jobs market steadily gaining steam.
Hiring last month was widespread, with businesses adding an overall 248,000 new jobs across the economy. Industries that posted the biggest gains included construction, health care, professional and business services and hotels and restaurants.