US likely enjoyed hiring spree in July as economy rebounds

By PAUL WISEMAN
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy likely enjoyed a burst of job growth last month as it bounced back with surprising vigor from last year’s coronavirus shutdown. That despite an uptick in COVID-19 cases and a shortage of available workers. The Labor Department’s July jobs report Friday is expected to show that the United States added more than 860,000 jobs in July, topping June’s 850,000, according to a survey of economists by the data firm FactSet. The rollout of vaccines has encouraged businesses to reopen and consumers to return to shops, restaurants and bars they’d shunned for months after the pandemic struck.