U.S. Participation Rate Rises Amid Gradual Wage Gains

More Americans are coming off the sidelines to get employed or seek work, boosting the participation rate, or share of working-age people in the labor force, to a five-year high in January, Labor Department figures showed on Friday. That, together with a slight cooling in annual wage gains, signals the job market has room to tighten further without triggering inflation anytime soon, consistent with the Federal Reserve’s decision to be patient and hold rates steady.