The labor market continued its energetic expansion in February, extending a hotter-than-expected streak that has created abundant job opportunities while frustrating the Federal Reserve in its drive to contain stubborn inflation.Employers added 311,000 jobs, the Labor Department reported Friday, down only slightly from the average of 344,000 over the previous three months. The unemployment rate ticked up to 3.6 percent, from 3.4 percent in January, which was the lowest level since 1969.Hiring has been a persistent source of dynamism in the economy since the pandemic lockdowns eased, even in the face of interest rate increases that have raised fears of a recession.In remarks at the White House, President Biden hailed the jobs report as a sign that his administration’ …
