By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The U.S. economy added 117,000 jobs in July and an even larger 154,000 in the private sector while the unemployment rate fell to 9.1% from 9.2%, partly because 193,000 people dropped out of the labor force, according to the latest government data. Job gains in May and June were also revised up by a combined 56,000, the Labor Department reported Friday. Average hourly wages rose 10 cents, or 0.4%, to $23.13. The workweek was unchanged at 34.3 hours. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had projected a 75,000 increase in jobs in July, with the unemployment rate holding steady at 9.2%. Average hourly wages were expected to rise 0.2%.
