WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a vigorous 257,000 jobs in January, and wages jumped by the most in six years — evidence that the U.S. job market is accelerating closer to full health. 
 
 In this Friday, Jan. 23, 2015 photo, job applicant Rafael Ferrer, 49, left, shakes hands with a representative of the Hilton Bentley Miami Beach hotel during a job fair at the Hospitality Institute, Friday,... (Associated Press) 
 
 The surprisingly robust report the Labor Department issued Friday also showed that hiring was far stronger in November and December than previously thought. Employers added 414,000 jobs in November — the most in 17 years. Job growth in December was also revised sharply higher, to 329,000, from 252,000. 
 
 Average hourly wages soared 12 cents in December to $24.75, the biggest gain since September 2008. In the past year, hourly pay has increased 2.2 percent. That is ahead of inflation, which rose just 0.7 percent in 2014. 
 
 The sharp drop in gas prices in the past year has held down inflation and boosted Americans' spending power. Still, wages typically rise at a roughly 3.5 percent pace in a fully healthy economy. 
 
 The unemployment rate in January rose to 5.7 percent from 5.6 percent. But that occurred for a good reason: More Americans began looking for jobs, though not all of them found work. Their job hunting suggests that they are more confident about their prospects. 
 
 Strong hiring pushes up wages as employers compete for fewer workers. Job gains have now averaged 336,000 a month for the past three months, the best three-month pace in 17 years. Just a year ago, the three-month average was only 197,000. 
 
 The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring wages and other job market data as it considers when to begin raising the short-term interest rate it controls from a record low near zero. The Fed has kept rates at record lows for more than six years to help stimulate growth. Most economists think the central bank will start boosting rates as early as June. 
 
 Steady economic growth has encouraged companies to keep hiring. The economy expanded at a 4.8 percent annual rate during spring and summer, the fastest six-month pace in a decade, before slowing to a still-decent 2.6 percent pace in the final three months of 2014. 
 
 There are now 3.2 million more Americans earning paychecks than there were 12 months ago. That lifts consumer spending, which drives about 70 percent of economic growth. 
 
 More hiring, along with sharply lower gasoline prices, has boosted Americans' confidence and spending power. Consumer confidence jumped in January to its highest level in a decade, according to a survey by the University of Michigan. And Americans increased their spending during the final three months of last year at the fastest pace in nearly nine years. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers extended a healthy streak of hiring in February by adding 295,000 jobs, the 12th straight monthly gain above 200,000. 
 
 The Labor Department says the unemployment rate fell to 5.5 percent from 5.7 percent. But the decline in the rate occurred largely because some people out of work stopped looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed. 
 
 The strong job gains weren't enough to boost wages by much. The average hourly wage rose just 3 cents to $24.78 an hour in February. 
 
 Over the past year, 3.3 million more Americans have gotten jobs. More jobs and lower gas prices have led many consumers to step up spending. That's boosting the economy, offsetting sluggish economies overseas and giving employers the confidence to hire. ||||| WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — The pace of hiring in the U.S. tapered off in January, but wages rose sharply and the unemployment rate dipped below 5% for the first time since 2008 in a mixed report that adds little clarity about the health of the economy. 
 
 The U.S. generated 151,000 nonfarm jobs in the first month of 2016, the Labor Department said Friday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected hiring to slow to 180,000 after big gains at the end of last year. 
 
 The smaller-than-expected increase could add to growing worries about a weakening U.S. economy and even the possibility of recession. U.S. stocks fell in early Friday trading. 
 
 Read: Recession not happening in the U.S., CEOs signal 
 
 Yet the January jobs report also offered some good news to suggest the labor market remains healthy enough to keep the economy moving. 
 
 The unemployment rate, for example, fell a tick to 4.9% the lowest reading in eight years. 
 
 The U.S. is still creating more than enough jobs to keep up with increases in the size of the labor force. Over the past three months, for example, the economy has gained an average of 231,000 new jobs. That’s well above average. 
 
 In another sign of a robust labor market, the average wage paid to workers jumped 0.5% in January to $25.39 an hour. Wage growth accelerated toward the end of 2015, and it’s climbed 2.5% in the past 12 months, just a hair below the post-recession high set in December. 
 
 Economists predict wages will rise even faster in 2016 as it gets harder for companies to find good help. At the same time, they expect hiring to slow as the pool of available labor shrinks. 
 
 In any case, the latest snapshot of labor-market trends did little to clear up questions about where the economy is going. A raft of reports in early 2016 suggests growth remains sluggish following a slowdown in the fourth quarter. 
 
 “The January employment report is clearly a half glass of water,” said Steve Blitz, chief economist of ITG Investment Research. 
 
 The mixed picture won’t give the Federal Reserve much to chew over, either. Economists predict the central bank will wait until at least early summer before raising interest rates again. 
 
 Inside the report 
 
 The retail industry added the most new jobs in January, taking on 58,000 new employees. Restaurants hired 47,000 workers and health-care companies boosted payrolls by 37,000. 
 
 In a surprise, manufacturers also created the most new jobs in a year, with payrolls rising by 29,000. Makers of food products led the way. Yet the increase in hiring in January is unlikely to be sustained as manufacturers struggle with falling exports in key overseas markets. 
 
 The financial industry beefed up staff by 18,000, continuing a steady trend of hiring after years of little employment growth. 
 
 Yet the ranks of professionals only increased by 9,000, largely because of a big drop in temps. These types of jobs have grown the rapidly during the economic recovery. 
 
 As expected, the transportation sector cut 20,000 jobs, mostly couriers used during the holidays to deliver packages. The energy industry, coping with cheap oil, also eliminated more jobs. 
 
 The pace of job creation at the end of 2015 was little changed after the government incorporated annual revisions in the employment report. 
 
 Some 262,000 new jobs were created in December instead of 292,000. But November’s gain was raised to 280,000 from 252,000. 
 
 More from MarketWatch
– The February jobs report came in stronger than expected on Friday: Employers added 242,000 jobs last month, above the 200,000 or so that analysts were expecting and way up from the revised figure of 172,000 in January. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, remained at 4.9%. One not-so-bright spot: Though a slight rise was expected, average hourly wages dropped 3 cents, or 0.1%, to $25.35, notes MarketWatch. The Fed in particular has been keeping an eye on wages—it wants to see steady growth before raising interest rates again, reports AP. Still, the jobs number is "a sign of steady economic growth despite financial-market turmoil and weakness abroad," notes the Wall Street Journal.