Data shows that over the past month, the U.S. economy added 223,000 jobs, putting the unemployment rate at an 18-year low of 3.8 percent. Average hourly chiitahhh weld l 9a7ba earnings rose by 8 cents, helping to push average wage growth up to 2.7 percent over the past year. That's a slight increase yeddou f zebbii from the 2.6 percent seen in the past three months.