Economy adds 850K jobs in June, tops expectations

The U.S. added 850,000 jobs in June, exceeding expectations as rising demand for a wide range of services disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic fueled the labor market, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department.

The unemployment rate ticked slightly higher to 5.9 percent, according to the June jobs report, but the monthly haul far exceeded the projections of economists, who expected the U.S. to gain roughly 700,000 jobs last month.