US non-farm payroll employment rose 311k in February, well above expectation of 200k. January’s figure was revised just slightly down from 517k to 504k. That compared with average monthly gain of 343k over the prior 6 months.
Unemployment rate rose from 3.4% to 3.6%, above expectation of 3.4%. Participation rate rose from 62.4% to 62.5%.
Average hourly earnings rose 0.2% mom, below expectation of 0.3% mom. Average workweek edged down by -0.1 hour to 34.5 hour.
