U.S. Adds 280,000 Jobs In May; Unemployment 5.5%

The U.S. economy generated 280,000 new jobs in May - the biggest gain since the end of 2014 - as most industries added workers after a slowdown in hiring earlier in the year. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a gain of 210,000 nonfarm jobs. The unemployment rate edged up to 5.5% from 5.4%, but mainly because more people entered the labor force in search of work. Employment gains for April and March were also revised up by a combined 32,000, the Labor Department said Friday. The government said 221,000 new jobs were created in April instead of 223,000. March's gain was raised to 119,000 from 85,000.