U.S. employers add 211,000 jobs as unemployment rate falls to 4.4%

Reporting from WASHINGTON — Hiring rebounded in April as U.S. employers added 211,000 jobs, a sign the economy’s sluggish growth in the first three months of the year may prove temporary.

The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.4%, from 4.5%, reaching its lowest level in a decade.

The figures suggest that businesses expect consumer demand to rebound after a lackluster showing in the first quarter, when Americans boosted their spending at the slowest pace in seven years.

Average paychecks grew more slowly, increasing 2.5% over the past 12 months, the Labor Department reported. That’s below March’s annual gain. Typically, employers are forced to pay more as they compete for a smaller pool of unemployed workers. Hourly pay gains are usually closer to 3.5% in a strong economy.