U.S. Added Jobs in June as Unemployment Stayed at 7.6%

U.S. employers added 195,000 jobs in June, a sign of the solid improvements in the labor market that the Federal Reserve has said it is looking for before it begins to wind down its bond-buying program.

 
The stronger job growth came alongside sharp revisions to April and May that showed employers added a combined 70,000 more jobs than previously estimated, the Labor Department said Friday.
 
The unemployment rate, obtained by a separate survey of U.S. households, was unchanged at 7.6%.
 
The Fed is watching employment data closely as it considers how to wind down easy-money policies aimed at stimulating the economy. Improvements may signal it is time to scale back its $85-billion-a-month bond purchases. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said the program may end around the time unemployment rate reaches 7%. The Fed has said it could start to raise interest rates after the figure drops to 6.5%.