LATEST US DATA

Payrolls' rise below expectation; jobless rate hits 3.9%

Wages barely rose last month, which could ease concerns that inflation pressures are rapidly building up

The labour force participation rate, or the proportion of working-age Americans who have a job or are looking for one, fell to 62.8 per cent last month from 62.9 per cent in March.

PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Washington

US job growth increased less than expected in April and the unemployment rate dropped to near a 17-1/2-year low of 3.9 per cent as some jobless Americans left the labour force.

The Labor Department's closely watched employment report on