U.S. temporary help payrolls rose by 52,000 jobs in January, a slightly smaller gain than in December, according to seasonally adjusted numbers released today by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. unemployment rate also fell to 9.7% in January from 10.0% in December. However, the U.S. continued to lose jobs overall.

December's gain in temporary employment was revised upward to 58,500 temp jobs. The gains continue a trend of increased temporary jobs, a reverse from earlier in the recession when the U.S. lost an average of 44,000 temporary jobs per month between January 2008 and July 2009.

Temporary help employment has risen by 247,000 jobs since reaching a low point in September 2009.

The temporary help penetration rate rose to 1.52% in January from 1.48% from December, according to this month's revised numbers.

The employment services industry as a whole added 54,500 jobs in January for a total of more than 2.6 million.

While gains in temporary employment continue, total nonfarm employment fell 20,000 jobs to 129.5 million, according to the BLS. Some had expected the U.S. to start adding jobs in January.

The goods-producing sector shed 60,000 jobs while the service sector added 48,000. The government sector lost 8,000 jobs.

Manufacturing employment, a subset of the goods-producing sector, added 11,000 jobs. Construction, on the other hand, lost 75,000 jobs in January.