Washington: The US economy added 147,000 jobs in June, surpassing market expectations, according to data from the Labor Department released on Thursday. This figure exceeded the anticipated gain of 111,000 jobs for the month, illustrating a stronger-than-expected performance in the job market.

According to Anadolu Agency, job additions for May were also revised upward by 5,000, bringing the total from 139,000 to 144,000. The Labor Department reported that job gains were primarily seen in state government and health care sectors, while the federal government continued to experience job losses.

The unemployment rate saw a slight decline, decreasing from 4.2% in May to 4.1% in June, which was below the forecasts. The number of unemployed individuals remained relatively stable at 7 million, while the labor force participation rate stood at 62.3%.

The employment-to-population ratio remained unchanged at 59.7% in June, as reported by the Labor Department. Additionally, the number of people not in the labor force but desiring employment was largely unchanged at 6 million. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they were not actively seeking work during the four weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to take a job.

Average hourly earnings for all employees on non-farm payrolls saw a modest increase of 0.2% to $36.30 in June compared to May, and a rise of 3.7% on an annual basis, signaling wage growth in the economy.