The numbers: The U.S. added a robust 224,000 new jobs in June, rebounding from a recent lull and calming worries about the health of an economy now entering a record 11th year of expansion.

The increase in new jobs easily beat the 170,000 forecast of economists polled by MarketWatch.

Improved hiring last month dispels for now the threat of a dramatic slowdown in growth for an economy that just this month set the record for longest expansion ever. Ongoing U.S. trade disputes and a faltering global economy have dampened exports, wounded American manufacturers and undermined the confidence of businesses and consumers.

The U.S. and China — the world’s two largest economies — agreed last week to delay pending tariffs and return to negotiations given the high stakes involved.

The unemployment rate, meanwhile, edged up to 3.7% from 3.6% as more than 300,000 people entered the labor force in search of work, the Labor Department said Friday.

Unemployment is still near a 50-year low, however.

source: www.marketwatch.com