Employers in the U.S. boosted payrolls and the unemployment rate held at 6.7 percent even as more Americans entered the labor force, showing steady progress that will prompt Federal Reserve policy makers to continue reducing stimulus while keeping interest rates low. Payrolls rose 192,000 last month after a 197,000 gain in February that was larger than first estimated, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast in a Bloomberg survey projected a 200,000 gain. Private employment, which excludes government jobs, surpassed the pre-recession peak for the first time. Employment in January and ... (full story)