A construction worker fixes the sidewalk in New York, the United States, on Jan. 6, 2023. (Photo: Xinhua)

US job gains surged unexpectedly in January while wages rose and unemployment defied expectations to slip further, according to government data released Friday, despite efforts to cool economic activity and inflation.

The world's biggest economy added 517,000 jobs in January after five months of slowing, as the jobless rate edged down to 3.4 percent, the Labor Department said in a report.