US jobs machine stayed strong in January

US employers kept their doors wide open for new job seekers in January despite a mid-winter slowdown in economic activity, a strong report by the Labor Department showed Friday. Coupled with a modest gain in wages, the much better-than-expected report suggested the US labor market is beginning to tighten after years of slack, economists said. The unemployment rate edged up to 5.7 percent from 5.6 percent, which analysts downplayed as representing a change in the way the population data is calcul