IE Business Daily Business news for the Inland Empire.
The U.S. economy added 257,000 jobs in January, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
More good news: more jobs were added in November and December than previously reported, and average hourly wages in January rose 12 cents to $24.75, the largest gain in that category since September 2008.
On the downside, unemployment rose from 5.6 to 5.7 percent, remaining essentially unchanged since October. That, however, probably means that more people are looking for work again now that the economy is clearly recovering.
Job gains have averaged 336,000 a month for the past three months, the best three-month stretch in that category in 17 years. One year ago, the average job gain per month was 197,000, according to the bureau, which is part of the U.S. Department of Labor.
