WASHINGTON–Employment remained strong during June despite concerns over tariffs and the economy, according to new numbers released by the Labor Department.

The country’s employers added 147,000 people to their payrolls, the Labor Department said. The unemployment rate declined to 4.1%.

“The June labor market report exceeded expectations with stronger job creation and lower unemployment rate, while previous months’ hiring numbers were also revised up,” said Dawit Kebede, chief economist with America’s Credit Unions. “The robust employment picture supports the Federal Reserve’s cautious approach of waiting for more data on inflation before cutting rates. Markets also assign a low probability to a July rate cut. This solid labor market environment helps credit union members maintain loan affordability and on-time payment.”

The Labor Department also revised upward the job gains for April and May by a collective 16,000.

Job gains were led by government (73,000), education and health (51,000), leisure and hospitality (20,000), construction (15,000) and retail (2,400). Manufacturing and business services both saw declines.