US jobs surge 313,000 in February

Washington: The US employment engine roared in February, adding more new jobs than any month in over a year as robust hiring picked up in construction, retail and manufacturing, the government reported Friday.

Employers added 313,000 net new non-farm jobs last month, the biggest monthly increase since July 2016, while the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1 percent for the fifth month in a row, the Labor Department said in the highly-anticipated monthly report.

The result shattered economists´ expectations, giving President Donald Trump a shot in the arm just as his support for his "America First" economic agenda appeared to be on shaky ground.

Trump broke with the leaders of his own Republican Party this week, announcing steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports in a move denounced by top congressional leaders, who said it could undermine the benefits of December´s sweeping tax cuts and prompt a global trade war.