US non-farm payrolls: what the economists say

There was a sharper than expected rise in the number of jobs created in the US in June, at 288,000. Economists had forecast a more modest rise in non-farm payrolls of 212,000.

US adds 157,000 jobs in January but unemployment rate climbs to 7.9%

The US unemployment rate edged up to 7.9% in January as the number of new jobs came in below expectations, in a further indication of the fragility of the economic recovery.