Job growth seen stepping up in May

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jobs growth probably snapped back in May from weather-related distortions that had slowed hiring, suggesting the economy was still expanding moderately despite strong headwinds from Europe.

Jobs growth probably snapped back in May from weather-related distortions that had slowed hiring, suggesting the economy was still expanding moderately despite strong headwinds from Europe. Employers probably ...

CC: @jack_welch. Reuters critic Felix Salmon thinks there's something fishy about the official BLS jobs numbers! No, he's not alleging political interference. But he does make this point.

NEW YORK — U.S. private-sector hiring slowed again in April as companies added the fewest employees in seven months, the latest sign the economy is encountering a soft patch, a report by a payrolls processor showed on Wednesday. Businesses added 119,000 employees to their payrolls last month, according to the ADP National Employment Report, falling short of economists’ expectations for a gain of 150,000 jobs. It was the smallest gain since last September.

WASHINGTON — U.S. job growth grew modestly in January and gains in the prior two months were bigger than initially reported, supporting views the economy’s sluggish recovery was on track despite a surprise contraction in output in the final three months of 2012. Employers added 157,000 jobs to their payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. There were 127,000 more jobs created in November and December than previously reported. The unemployment rate, however, edged up 0.1 percentage point to 7.9%.

WASHINGTON