US employers added 4.8m new jobs in June and the unemployment rate dropped to 11.1 per cent, as the economic rebound from the initial coronavirus shock gathered pace last month before lockdowns began to be reimposed.
The fall in jobless rate from 13.3 per cent in May was better than expected but was based on data collected in the second week of last month — predating a spike in infections that has hit several large US states since then and caused some authorities to restore restrictions on activity.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job gains were broad-based, with leisure and hospitality recovering 2.1m positions, retail restoring 740,000 people on payroll, and manufacturing adding 356,000 jobs.