The U.S. labor market showed surprising strength in January, adding far more jobs than economists anticipated and revealing a significant increase in wage growth.br br The jobs report, published Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, includes the following data:br br - Non-farm payrolls increased by 353,000 in January, a jump from the upwardly revised figure of 333,000 for December and well above the expected 180,000. It’s the largest monthly job gain since January 2023.br - The unemployment rate remained steady at 3.7, below the expected 3.8.br - Average hourly earnings showed 0.6 growth for the month, a sharp increase from the previous 0.4 and below the predicted 0.3.br - On an annual basis, wage growth increase to 4.5, which was above both the prior 4.4 and expected rate of 4.1.