A new government report shows U.S. businesses added a moderate 111,000 new jobs in January.
The Labor Department Friday issued a report that also showed the U.S. unemployment rate increased for the first time in three months - to 4.6 percent.
According to the report, American workers earned an average of $17.09 an hour in January - a slight increase from the previous month.
Analysts say the Department of Labor report will help ease worries that a tight labor market will significantly inflate wages and costs.
Earlier this week, the U.S. central bank decided to maintain a key interest rate, despite the risk of inflation.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Bloomberg.