By Annalyn Kurtz
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — The jobs recovery continued to crawl forward in January, as employers hired 157,000 workers, the Labor Department said Friday.
Job growth at that level is weaker than in December, when employers added 196,000 jobs.
It’s a recovery, but it’s still a slow one. The U.S. economy lost 8.8 million jobs in the financial crisis, and is still down about 3.2 million jobs from the labor market’s height in 2007.
Meanwhile, hiring is barely keeping pace with population growth. The unemployment rate was 7.9% in January.
Construction was one of the strongest sectors, adding 28,000 jobs and reflecting a stronger housing market and rebuilding efforts after Superstorm Sandy. Health care added 23,000 jobs and retail added 33,000 jobs.
The Labor Department also released revisions to its 2012 data, showing the economy added 335,000 more jobs during the year than originally reported.
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