Hiring surged across the US economy in August, with employment rising by 162,000, far above the 56,000 new hires that economists had expected, according to the latest non-farm payroll report.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics said employment increased in food services and drinking places and in local government education, while the information industry lost jobs.
In another important development, the US did not shed jobs in July as first reported. The BLS said there were 44,000 more jobs than it previously estimated in July, meaning employment rose by 21,000 rather than falling by 23,000.
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was also revised up by 11,000, from +20,000 to +31,000.
This should cheer the Trump White House, but it might cause some on the Federal Reserve to ponder whether the labor market is strong enough to handle higher interest rates.
