Fed chair Jerome Powell. Photo: AP
US payrolls rose in January by the most in more than a year and the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell, suggesting the labour market continued to stabilise at the start of 2026.
Employers added 130,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate declined to 4.3pc, according to Bureau of Labour Statistics data. That followed revisions to the prior year, which showed a marked slowdown in hiring. Job gains averaged just 15,000 a month last year, down from the initially reported 49,000 pace.
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