U.S. added 235,000 jobs in February, making Fed rate hike likely

U.S. employers added a robust 235,000 jobs in February and raised pay at a healthy pace, making it all but certain that the Federal Reserve will raise short-term interest rates next week.

Friday's jobs report from the government made clear that the economy remains on solid footing nearly eight years after the Great Recession ended.

The unemployment rate dipped to a low 4.7 per cent from 4.8 per cent, the Labor Department said. More people began looking for jobs in February, a sign of confidence that raised the proportion of Americans working or seeking work to the highest level in nearly a year.

The gains in hiring and pay, along with higher consumer and business confidence since the November election, could lift spending and investment in coming months and accelerate economic growth. Americans are buying homes at a solid pace, and manufacturing is rebounding, in part because of improving economies overseas.

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Investors responded initially by sending stock prices up sharply Friday. By late morning, though, stock indexes were up only slightly.

The February jobs data likely provides the final piece of evidence the Fed needs to feel confident enough to raise rates next week for the third time in 15 months. The Fed's inclination to tighten borrowing rates reflects how far the economy has come since the central bank cut its benchmark short-term rate to zero in 2008 and kept it there for seven years to support a fragile economy.

In December, Fed policymakers forecast that they would raise rates a total of three times this year, which would lead eventually to higher loan rates for homes and cars as the economy further solidifies its gains. Friday's figures make additional rate hikes this year more likely, economists said.

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"Job growth continues to offer a positive reflection on underlying economic conditions," said Russell Price, an economist at Ameriprise Financial. "There are few factors more important to consumers than jobs. Overall, consumers are in great shape to support an accelerated pace of economic growth."

Average hourly pay rose 2.8 per cent year over year in February, a decent gain though slightly below historical averages. In a healthy economy, wages typically rise at a roughly 3.5 per cent annual pace.

Last month's hiring was boosted by 58,000 additional construction jobs, the most in nearly a decade. That figure was likely enhanced by unseasonably warm weather in much of the nation.

Friday's report was the first to cover a full month under President Donald Trump. During the presidential campaign, Trump had cast doubt on the validity of the government's jobs data, calling the unemployment rate a "hoax." But just minutes after Friday's report was released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time, Trump retweeted a news report touting the job growth.

An array of evidence suggests that the U.S. job market is fundamentally healthy or nearly so. Hiring over the past two months has averaged 237,000, up from last year's monthly average of 187,000.

The number of people seeking first-time unemployment benefits a rough proxy for the pace of layoffs reached a 44-year low two weeks ago.

Business confidence has risen since the presidential election, with many business executives saying they expect faster economic growth to result from Trump's promised tax cuts, deregulation and infrastructure spending.

The U.S. economy is also benefiting from steadier economies overseas. Growth is picking up or stabilizing in most European countries as well as in China and Japan.