The U.S. gained 304,000 new jobs in January in another show of strength for the economy, though hiring at the end of 2018 wasn't nearly as robust as originally reported.

Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a gain of 172,000 nonfarm jobs. The unemployment rate edged up tp 4% from 3.9%.

The Labor Department said the government shutdown had no "discernible" impact on net hiring, but it did contribute to the higher jobless rate. The average wage paid to American workers, meanwhile, rose 3 cents, or 0.1%, to $27.56 an hour.

The 12-month rate of hourly wage gains dipped to 3.2% from a revised 3.3% in the prior three months that marked a post-recession high. Hours worked each week was flat at 34.5. The government said 222,000 new jobs were created in December instead of 312,000. November's gain was raised to 196,000 from 176,000. The big change in December stemmed in part from annual updates the government makes based on newly available information.

Source : Market Watch