US employers add 217K jobs; rate stays at 6.3 pct

WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. employers added 217,000 jobs in May, a substantial gain for a fourth straight month, fueling hopes that the economy will accelerate after a grim start to the year.

The May figure was down from 282,000 in April, a figure that the government revised slightly down, the Labor Department said Friday. But monthly job growth has now averaged 234,000 for the past three months, up sharply from 150,000 in the previous three.

The unemployment rate, which is calculated from a separate survey, remained 6.3 percent.