U.S. gains 304,000 jobs at start of 2019 as firms continue to hire at blistering pace
The numbers: The U.S. gained 304,000 new jobs in January — the biggest increase in almost a year — in another show of strength for an economy that’s still growing soundly even in the face of more headwinds.
Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a modest gain of 172,000 nonfarm jobs, but mainly because hiring in December had seemed so strong.
Instead the government slashed its original estimate of new jobs in December to 222,000 from 312,000 as part of an annual update based on newly available information. That’s the largest monthly revision since 2010.
Still, the economy has added an average of 241,000 jobs a month since November, marking one of the best stretches during a nearly 10-year-old economic expansion. And employment gains in 2018 were the strongest in three years.
The tight labor market has forced businesses to offer higher pay and benefits to attract or retain workers, but so far it hasn’t contributed much to inflation. That’s keeping the Federal Reserve from raising interest rates aggressively.
U.S. gains 304,000 jobs at start of 2019 as firms continue to hire at blistering pace