Job Growth Surges in June, Jobless Rate Slips to 6.1%

U.S. employment growth jumped in June and the unemployment rate declined to near a six-year low of 6.1 percent, effectively dispelling fears about the economy's health and underscoring its momentum heading into the second half of 2014.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 288,000 jobs, the Labor Department said Thursday. Data for April and May were revised to show a total of 29,000 more jobs created than previously reported.