More jobs in June

The unemployment rate held steady in the jobs report for June, clocking in at 4.4%. That compares to 4.3% in the previous month, according to data released Friday morning by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The other big number: 220,000 new jobs (the increase in total nonfarm payroll employment.

The numbers were stronger than analysts had expected.

Employment in construction and the retail trade were flat, according to the report.

The hot areas of growth were health care, social assistance, financial activities and mining. Employment growth has averaged 180,000 per month so far in 2017. That’s in line with the average monthly gain of 187,000 in 2016.

Health cared added 37,000 jobs in the month. Mining employment grew by 8,000, with most of the growth in support activities for mining.

The labor force participation rate, at 62.8 percent, changed little in June and has shown no clear trend over the past year.