American employers continued hiring at a steady clip in June, brushing aside concerns about the economy to notch another month of solid job creation.

Payrolls grew by 147,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday, and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.1%.

The healthy hiring reaffirmed that the economy was maintaining momentum despite economic headwinds, including President Donald Trump’s unpredictable tariff policy, global conflict, an immigration crackdown and high interest rates.

Reaffirming the labor market’s durability, job gains in April and May were revised upward by a collective 16,000.

But there were also some signs of strain in the labor market. Companies in the private sector largely appear to be in a holding pattern given economic uncertainty stemming from Washington. Many industries continued to add jobs, but at a very low level, suggesting they have mostly postponed any hiring plans.

And although job creation exceeded expectations for the month, much of the hiring was concentrated in the same handful of industries — health care, leisure and hospitality, and government — that have been propping up the economy for months. Those sectors combined accounted for about 90% of the total net job gains.

The labor force also shrank as the pool of workers seeking employment dropped. The number of people who have been out of a job for more than six months rose, suggesting it is taking longer for those seeking work to find it.

Still, the report reinforced the Federal Reserve’s wait-and-see approach to cutting interest rates despite a prolonged pressure campaign from Trump. On Wednesday, the president continued his attacks on Fed Chair Jerome Powell, calling on him to “resign immediately.”

The White House praised the new jobs numbers after their release. “The economy is booming again,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a statement, predicting it “will only get better” once the president’s domestic policy package is finalized.

Federal government employment, which has been in Trump’s crosshairs, dropped in June by 7,000 jobs and is down 69,000 for the year even as state and local governments have added jobs.

Manufacturing, which has been buffeted by the trade war, also shed 7,000 jobs last month. The purchasing managers’ index for manufacturers indicated that many are focused on managing head count rather than hiring.In the meantime, some employers appear to be pulling back in more subtle ways. Layoffs remain low, but the number of hires fell in May. The average workweek ticked down by 0.1 hours to 34.2 hours in June, a sign that employers are cutting worker hours and reducing their take-home pay. Wages continued to grow, but at a slightly slower pace, rising 0.2% in June and 3.7% compared with the same time last year. Jobs in temporary help services, which tend to fall during tenuous economic times, also fell marginally.

— New York Times

Mortgage rates drop for fifth week

The average rate on a 30-year U.S. mortgage fell for the fifth straight week to its lowest level since early April, an encouraging sign for potential buyers who have wrestled with rising home prices.

The long-term rate fell to 6.67% from 6.77% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, the rate averaged 6.95%.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, fell to 5.80% from 5.89% last week. A year ago, it was 6.25%, Freddie Mac said.

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage has remained relatively close to its high so far this year of just above 7%, set in mid-January. The 30-year rate’s low point this year was in early April when it briefly dipped to 6.62%.

Economists generally expect mortgage rates to stay relatively stable in the coming months, with forecasts calling for the average rate on a 30-year mortgage to remain in a range between 6% and 7% this year.

Fewer in U.S. seek jobless benefits

Fewer Americans applied for unemployment benefits last week as layoffs in the U.S. remain low despite uncertainty about how tariffs will impact the economy.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims for the week ending June 28 fell by 4,000 to 233,000, less than the 241,000 that analysts forecast. Applications for unemployment aid are considered a proxy for layoffs.

UPS may offer first-ever worker buyouts

UPS is making plans to offer buyouts to its drivers for the first time ever, prompting staunch opposition from the Teamsters union.

The potential buyouts for the drivers of its iconic brown package cars comes as UPS has announced plans to slash tens of thousands of management and other jobs and automate more of its business as it slogs through global trade tensions and the loss of business from what used to be its biggest customer — Amazon.

Just two years ago, UPS struck a landmark agreement with the Teamsters union that included pay boosts, promises to add air conditioning to package cars and agreements to hire thousands of full-time Teamsters members.

But on Thursday, UPS said in a written statement it is navigating “an unprecedented business landscape.”

Dr. Phil’s startup files for bankruptcy

The Fort Worth, Texas-based startup founded by celebrity psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, while simultaneously suing Trinity Broadcasting Network for breach of contract.

Merit Street Media’s legal move comes just over a year after the two companies celebrated a partnership launch — with Dr. Phil’s name — and a new eponymous nightly show forming the core of the new venture.

“This lawsuit arises out of a sad but oft told story,” read Merit Street’s lawsuit against business partner TBN. The filing argues that Trinity was obliged to fully cover services associated with the fledgling platform’s production and distribution.

However, according to Merit Street, “one side lived up to its commitments but the other … did not.”

Merit Street and TBN did not respond to requests for comment from The Dallas Morning News late Wednesday.

Breakfast chains curtail egg surcharges

Denny’s and Waffle House have removed surcharges that the two restaurant chains added to their menus when U.S. egg prices spiked earlier in the year.

Denny’s confirmed Thursday that it eliminated its egg surcharge on May 21. Waffle House said Wednesday on social media that it canceled its surcharge on June 2.

Waffle House instituted a 50-cent per egg surcharge in February at all of its 1,900 U.S. restaurants due to the soaring cost of eggs. Denny’s also put a surcharge in place in February, but it varied by location.

Outbreaks of bird flu in January and February caused the average price of a dozen Grade A eggs to hit a record high of $6.23 per dozen in March, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

More than 174.8 million wild bird and poultry have been killed due to the virus, which began circulating in January 2022. Any time a bird gets sick, the entire flock is killed to help keep the highly contagious flu from spreading. The mass slaughters can affect egg supplies because massive egg farms may have millions of birds.

— From news services