US job growth cools but better than expected, unemployment steady: govt

The United States added more jobs than analysts expected in May even as hiring cooled, government data showed Friday, a resilient showing amid growing scrutiny over effects from President Donald Trump's widespread tariffs.

Hiring in the world's largest economy came in at 139,000 last month, slightly down from a revised 147,000 in April, said the Labor Department.

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.2 percent, while pay gains exceeded expectations at 0.4 percent.


The headline figures indicate that the US employment market is relatively healthy despite the jolts to financial markets, supply chains and consumer sentiment as Trump announced successive waves of tariffs this year.

While April was the month in which Trump rolled out his widest-ranging duties since returning to the presidency -- a 10 percent levy on most trading partners and higher rates for dozens of economies -- experts say their effects take time to filter through.

This is partly because of Trump's on-again, off-again approach to rolling out levies.

His higher blanket tariff rates, although unveiled in April, were swiftly halted until early July -- allowing some room for negotiations to take place.