American employers hired 313,000 workers in February—the biggest monthly number since the summer of 2016, and more than economists expected. New figures out Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised down the average hourly wage figure for January, to 2.6 percent from 2.8 percent. That perceived jump in worker pay spooked U.S. financial markets in early February, including the record 1,175-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. For February, average hourly pay stayed at 2.6 percent, and unemployment also held steady, at 4.1 percent.
