employment report

The government's June jobs report beat expectations with another 213,000 jobs added. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4 percent with more people entering the workforce.

The largest increase in jobs in 1 1/2 years was accompanied by a 2.6 percent year-on-year increase in wages, a slowdown from January's pace. The unemployment rate held at 4.1 percent.

The U.S. added 178,000 new jobs in November, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which was about what was expected. However, wages dropped slightly, after an 11-cent gain in October.

The economy keeps adding jobs at a steady pace, including 223,000 in June, but the Labor Department report for last month shows more people are also leaving the labor force and wages are not rising.

Friday's jobs report showed tepid wage growth in April. Hours after its release, President Obama gave a speech arguing that a new trade deal would strengthen the labor market. Opponents disagree.

December's job growth caps a 2014 that saw the most jobs added to the economy since 1999.