Employers in the United States added 217,000 jobs in May, slightly below what analysts had been expecting.
The US non-farm payroll figure was well below April's revised number of 282,000 jobs, but it was still the fourth month in a row of solid gains.
The unemployment rate in May remained at 6.3%.
Job gains have averaged 234,000 a month over the past three months, compared with 150,000 over the previous three months.
It's hoped the current labour market figures show that the US economy is set to strengthen its recovery later in the year.