US employers add just 49,000 jobs as unemployment falls to 6.3%

US employers added just 49,000 jobs in January, a sign that the viral pandemic retains a tight grip on the economy nearly a year after it triggered a painful recession.
 

The tepid increase followed a decline of 227,000 jobs in December, the first loss since April. The unemployment rate for January fell sharply from 6.7 per cent to 6.3 per cent, the Labor Department said Friday.
 

Most of the drop in unemployment occurred because some people out of work found jobs, while others stopped looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed.
 

Friday's figures reflect a faltering job