U.S. job growth was unexpectedly solid in June, but nearly half of the increase in nonfarm payrolls came from the government sector, with private industry gains the smallest in eight months as businesses battled rising economic headwinds.

Employers across the U.S. added 147,000 jobs in June, with the labor market remaining resilient despite slowing economic growth this year. Job growth was stronger than expected in June. Payroll gains sailed past the 115,000 predicted by economists polled by financial data firm FactSet.

The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1 percent, according to a jobs report released Thursday by the Labor Department, reflecting the exit of workers from the labor market. The June unemployment rate hovers near a historically low level.