US jobs, wages show solid gains in Trump's first full month

Washington

US EMPLOYERS in February added jobs at an above-average pace for a second month on outsized gains in construction and manufacturing, showing the labour market continued its steady growth in the new year.

The 235,000 increase in jobs followed a 238,000 rise in January that was more than previously estimated, the best back-to-back rise since July, a Labor Department report showed on Friday in Washington. The unemployment rate fell to 4.7 per cent, and wages grew 2.8 per cent from February 2016.