article_snippet: Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a 240,000 increase in payrolls after a previously reported 257,000 rise in January.
article_snippet: However, the stronger-than-expected job gains weren't enough to boost wages by much.
article_snippet: That's boosting the economy, offsetting sluggish economies overseas and giving employers the confidence to hire.
article_snippet: The US job market and economy are easily outpacing those of other major nations.
article_snippet: Though Europe and Japan are showing signs of growing more than last year, Europe and Japan economies remain feeble.
article_snippet: The euro currency union's unemployment rate has started to fall, but at 11.2 percent The euro currency union's unemployment rate remains nearly twice the US level.
article_snippet: The US economy expanded at a breakneck annual pace of 4.8 per cent in last year's spring and summer, only to slow to a tepid 2.2 per cent rate in the final three months of 2014.
article_snippet: Many economists estimate that growth is picking up slightly in the current quarter to an annual rate of 2.5 per cent to nearly 3 per cent.
article_snippet: Still, economists remain bullish about hiring despite the slowdown in growth.
article_snippet: But companies focus more on consumer demand in making hiring decisions, and demand was strong in the October-December quarter.
article_snippet: Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics, expects the economy to grow 3 per cent this year, which would be first time the economy's reached that level in a decade.
article_snippet: That's fast enough to support hiring of about 250,000 a month, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics said.