U.S. Adds 217,000 Jobs, Unemployment Remains at 6.3%

The U.S. added 217,000 jobs in May, according to the federal jobs report released Friday, but the unemployment rate held steady at 6.3%. That rate matches April’s figure, the lowest seen in five years.

May marks the fourth straight month of jobs growth in 2014, with the economy adding on average about 214,000 jobs per month this year. The Bureau of Labor statistics report aligns with analysts’ predictions that the May report would reflect moderate growth following April’s strong report.

Private-sector employment rose by 179,000 jobs in May, payroll service firm ADP reported Wednesday.

April’s jobs numbers were adjusted to show 282,000 jobs were added last month, down 6,000 from the 288,000 additional jobs previously reported.