Washington, Jul 7 (IANS/EFE): The US unemployment rate remained at 8.2 percent last month as the economy created only 80,000 net new jobs, authorities said Friday.

Analysts had expected a gain of 100,000 positions.

The Labor department's broader unemployment rate, which includes part-time workers who would prefer full-time jobs and people who have given up looking, climbed by a tenth of a percentage point to 14.9 percent.

The jobless rate among Hispanics, the largest US minority, also held steady in June at 11 percent.

The long-term unemployed, defined as those who have been looking for work for more than 27 weeks, was unchanged at 5.4 million, accounting for 42.58 percent of all unemployed workers.

The professional services sector added 47,000 new jobs last month, while healthcare gained 13,000 and the ranks of manufacturing workers expanded by 11,000.

Average hourly earnings climbed to $23.50, up 2 percent from June 2011.

The Labor Department's most recent report on inflation showed a 1.7 percent rise in consumer prices over the past 12 months.