WASHINGTON, June 3 (Reuters) – The U.S. economy added more jobs than expected in May, while the jobless rate held steady at 3.6%, reflecting the strength of the labor market, show official statistics released on Friday.
The Labor Department said 390,000 nonfarm payrolls were created last month, while economists polled by Reuters had expected an average figure of 325,000.
The number of jobs created in April was revised upwards to 436,000 against 428,000 initially announced.
The unemployment rate, calculated on the basis of a separate survey, stood at 3.6% in May, like the previous month, while the consensus was for a decline to 3.5%.
The Labor Department report shows average hourly wages rose 0.3% last month after rising 0.3% in April. Over one year, the average salary saw its progression slow down slightly in May, to 5.2% after 5.5% the previous month.
The consensus for the average hourly wage gave an increase of 0.4% over one month and 5.2% over one year.
On the stock market, futures contracts on the main Wall Street indices, expected to decline, slightly reduced their loss after the publication of these statistics. (Report Lucia Mutikani; French version Claude Chendjou, edited by Sophie Louet)