U.S. adds 157K jobs; unemployment ticks up to 7.9%

The United States added jobs last month, but not enough to put much of a dent in the national unemployment rate, according to figures released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 157,000 jobs in January, while the unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 7.9 percent from 7.8 percent in December, the BLS reported Friday.

The Labor Department said the retail, construction, health care and wholesale trade sectors saw job growth, while employemnt edged…