U.S. economy adds 295,000 jobs in FebruaryMarch 7, 2015 - 13:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. economy added 295,000 jobs in February, while the unemployment rate fell to 5.5% from 5.7%, Labor Department figures showed, according to BBC News. It was the 12th month running that the economy added more than 200,000 jobs, the longest such run since 1994. The stronger-than-expected jobs figure led to a jump in the value of the dollar. Markets are now speculating that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates in June this year. The Labor Department figure showed there were job gains in a number of sectors including construction, health care, and transportation. There were also job gains in food and drinks outlets, professional and business services, and warehousing. However, employment in mining was down over the month. The figure for the number of jobs created in January was revised down from 257,000 to 239,000. In February, average hourly earnings for all employees on private non-farm payrolls rose by 3 cents to $24.78, with earnings up by 2% over the year. The labor force participation rate fell to 62.8% from 62.9%, as more people made themselves available for work. Related links: Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |