US employers in July hired the most workers in five months, but the unemployment rate edged up to 8.3 percent.

The Labor Department says the US economy added 163-thousand jobs last month, beating economists’ expectations. It snapped three straight months of job gains below 100-thousand. But the unemployment rate rose to 8.3 percent from 8.2 percent in June.

The White House says that data showing US hiring increased in July shows the economy is continuing to recover. It stressed the jobless rate is "essentially unchanged" despite the slight rise.

Data last week showed the US economy grew at an annual pace of one-and-a-half percent in the second quarter, far short of the 2-and-a-half percent needed to keep the unemployment rate stable.