Payrolls rise in June, most in eight months

Washington

AMERICA'S job market stirred to life in June as payroll growth accelerated by the most since October after a two-month lull, assuaging fears of broader cutbacks by companies.

Payrolls climbed by 287,000 last month, exceeding the highest estimate in a Bloomberg survey, after a revised 11,000 gain in May, a Labor Department report showed on Friday. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey called for a 180,000 increase. The jobless rate rose to 4.9 per cent as more people entered the labour force. Wages advanced less than projected.