The U.S. unemployment rate edged down to 9.1 percent in July from 9.2 percent in June, the Labor Department reported Friday.

The nonfarm sector added 117,000 new jobs last month, far short of the 200,000 monthly level that economists believe robust enough to slash the unemployment rate over the long run, but still offered some relief to investors after Wall Street market plunged Thursday.

The unemployment rate has ticked up for three consecutive months through June, following a decline of the widely scrutinized jobs figure for four straight months.

Businesses added 154,000 jobs across different sectors, but governments cut 37,000 jobs last month due to spending cuts.