10:31 AM EDT, 06/06/2025 (MT Newswires) -- The US economy added more jobs than expected in May, while President Donald Trump again called on the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates.

Total nonfarm payrolls rose by 139,000 last month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The consensus was for a 126,000 increase, according to a survey compiled by Bloomberg. Gains for April were revised down by 30,000 to 147,000 and slashed by 65,000 for March.

The unemployment rate was steady at 4.2% in May, in line with the market view, representing the third consecutive month at that level, the data showed.

"Nonfarm payrolls remained resilient last month despite heightened trade policy uncertainty," TD Economics Senior Economist Thomas Feltmate said in a note. While the prior downward revisions took "some of the shine off the headline payrolls print, it's fair to say that the labor market is holding up better than expected."

In a Friday post on the Truth Social platform, Trump said if the Fed eases its monetary policy, it "would greatly reduce interest rates, long and short, on debt that is coming due." Trump added that there is "virtually no inflation," and even if inflation does return, the Fed can always raise rates again.

Private payrolls advanced by 140,000 in May, slowing down from a 146,000 gain the month prior, according to the BLS report. The consensus on Bloomberg was for an increase of 120,000. The service industry added 145,000 jobs, while the goods-producing sector lost 5,000 positions, the data showed.

Average hourly earnings grew by 0.4% sequentially, ahead of the Street's view for growth of 0.3%. The annual measure rose 3.9%, topping the 3.7% rise modeled by analysts.

"Heightened uncertainty surrounding trade and fiscal policy alongside still elevated inflation has left policymakers in no rush to cut rates," according to Feltmate. "While the labor market is showing signs of cooling, job creation is still running at a healthy pace and underscores the ongoing need for patience."

Federal Reserve Governor Adriana Kugler on Thursday voiced support for keeping interest rates steady, saying that tariffs will likely drive prices higher through 2025 and could result in job losses.