LOC19:08
16:08 GMT
WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (KUNA) -- The US economy added 228,000 new jobs last month, while the nation's unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent, the Labor Department reported Friday, despite two months of hurricane-related volatility.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged at a 17-year low, amid an uptick in hiring in professional and business services, healthcare and manufacturing.
Overall, the Labor Department's report showed that job creation remained strong in the US even after deadly hurricanes Hurricanes Harvey and Irma struck the parts of the Southeast in Autumn and temporarily weakened hiring.
Job gains for September and October were revised up by a total 3,000. September's was upgraded to 38,000 from 18,000 and October's was revised down to 244,000 from 261,000.
But wage growth was slow and weaker than expected, with average hourly salaries rose 0.2 percent from October and increased by only 2.5 percent from a year ago, suggesting that many Americans are still on the sidelines of the full-time job market. (end)
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