Biggest rise in US jobs for three years

Washington: US employment increased in March by the most in three years and the unemployment rate held at 9.7% as companies gained confidence that economic recovery will be sustained.

Payrolls rose by 162,000 last month, less than anticipated, figures from the Labor Department in Washington showed.

The March increase included 48,000 temporary workers hired by the government to conduct the 2010 census, as well as job gains in manufacturing and health services.

The government revised January and February payroll figures up by a combined 62,000, putting the March gain at 224,000 after including the updated data.