The U.S. has generated 288,000 jobs in April 2014. The unemployment rate fell to 6.3%. The strong performance suggests the economy is accelerating after the first-quarter growth. The growth was broad based. Professional jobs surged by 75,000 and retail, bars and restaurants and construction all posted big gains. Average hourly wages were unchanged, however, and remain at $24.31 and the average workweek rose slightly to 34.5 hours. The government said 203,000 jobs were created in March, up from 192,000 the previous year. So far in 2014, the economy has gained an average of 214,000 jobs a month, well ahead of the 2014 pace of 194,000.
