WASHINGTON—U.S. private payrolls rose less than expected in June while the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but that did little to change perceptions that labor market conditions continued to tighten.
The labor market is viewed as being near or at full employment, with the jobless rate at an 18-year low of 3.8 percent. The unemployment rate has dropped by three-tenths of a percentage point this year and is near the Federal Reserve’s forecast of 3.6 percent by the end of this year.
