Strong hiring in the construction and retail sectors helped U.S. employers add a better-than-expected 227,000 jobs in January, a sign that new President Donald Trump took over a strong labour market. According to Reuters, economists had been expecting job growth of 175,000 for the month. At the same time, more people were looking for work, as the overall unemployment rose slightly to 4.8 per cent from 4.7 per cent in December. The Associated Press reported that the percentage of U.S. adults employed or looking for work hit its highest level since September. Trump, who took office on January 20, campaigned on a platform of bringing back U.S. jobs that had gone overseas.

Source: CBC News February 03, 2017 14:41 UTC