WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 163,000 jobs in July, a hopeful sign after three months of sluggish hiring.

Still the unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent from 8.2 percent in June, the Labor Department said Friday.

July's hiring was the best since February. The economy has added an average of 151,000 jobs a month this year — enough to keep up with population growth but not enough to drive down the unemployment rate.

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