U.S. adds jobs, but unemployment still rises

U.S employers added more jobs than expected in January, but not enough to keep the national unemployment rate from rising slightly, according to data released Friday.

Overall, the economy added 277,000 jobs during the first month of the year, with many of those in construction and retail, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported in its monthly assessment of the job market.

Despite that, the unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percent to 4.8 percent, a sign that more people are looking for work. Wage growth was up only one-tenth of one percent, down from December.

Still, the jobs report was encouraging and a sign that the national economy continues to recover, one local economist said.

“I’m pleased with the report,” said Jay Prag, professor of economics and finance at the Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University. “I was hoping for more wage growth, but we added about 50,000 more jobs than expected, which is good. It was better than the last couple of January reports.”