The US added 157,000 new jobs in January, slightly below expectations, as the unemployment rate climbed slightly to 7.9%.

The news followed other signs of fragility in the US's economic recovery this week. Economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires forecast the US would add around 166,000 jobs in January after adding 155,000 in December. They expected the unemployment rate to stay at 7.8%.

The private sector added 166,000 jobs. But government cut 9,000 jobs and more are expected to go in the coming months.