By Jeffry Bartash WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The U.S. added 217,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate held steady at 6.3%, suggesting that a spring-induced economic expansion shows little sign of letting up, according to government data released Friday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected an increase of 210,000 nonfarm jobs. Employment gains for April and March were little changed, the Labor Department said. In May, professional services, health care, bars and restaurants and transportation added the most new jobs. Yet two key sectors that pay well, manufacturing and construction, only gained a combined 16,000 jobs. Average hourly wages, meanwhile, rose 0.2% to $24.38, and they are up 2.1% over the past 12 months. The average workweek was unchanged at 34.5 hours. The labor-force participation rate was also unchanged at 62.8%, which matches a 36-year low. The government said 282,000 new jobs were created in April, down slightly from a preliminary 288,000. March's gain of 203,000 was unchanged. So far in 2014 the economy has gained an average of 214,000 jobs a month, about 10% above the 2013 pace of 194,000.

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