Washington, Feb 3 (EFE).- The U.S. unemployment rate dropped 0.2 percent in January to 8.3 percent - its lowest level since February 2009 - as the economy created 243,000 net new jobs, the Labor Department said Friday.
Median hourly pay rose 0.2 percent last month to $23.39.
The Labor Department revised upward by 60,000 its figure for new job creation in November and December and said the economy added 1.82 million jobs in all of 2011, compared with an earlier estimate of 1.64 million.
The revisions to November and December numbers means the economy generated an average of 201,000 new jobs per month over the last three months.
Manufacturing added 50,000 positions in January, while the service sector contributed another 162,000 jobs. Government employment shrank by 14,000.
The stronger-than-expected employment report could prompt economists worried about inflation to call the Federal Reserve to sharply moderate the stimulus measures adopted in response to the worst economic slump since the Great Depression.
The Labor Department's broader U6 unemployment rate, which includes part-time workers who would prefer full-time jobs and people who have given up looking, edged down from 15.2 percent in December to 15.1 percent last month.
