Just as May’s jobs report appeared deceptively robust, swollen by 411,000 workers hired by the federal government to help with the Census, so the June report appears deceptively anemic, as the government shed 225,000 of those workers.

Signs of strength could be spotted. The 83,000 private sector jobs created in June more than doubled the count in May. In the first six months of 2009, the nation lost 3.7 million private sector jobs; during the first six months of this year it gained 590,000. Manufacturing continued a modest revival, as plants added 9,000 jobs, bringing the total for such jobs to 136,000 since January (manufacturing shed two million jobs early in this recession). Amusement, gambling and recreation businesses added 28,000.

Health care inched up 9,000, for a 12-month gain of 217,000 jobs. And professional firms continued to add temporary workers, 21,000 last month. In past recessions, such hiring often was a precursor of permanent hires.

President Obama offered restrained applause for the jobs report even as he acknowledged the economy remained weak.

“Make no mistake  we are headed in the right direction,” Mr. Obama told reporters before boarding Air Force One to fly to West Virginia for the funeral of Senator Robert C. Byrd. “We’re not headed there fast enough for a lot of Americans. We’re not headed there fast enough for me either.”

Indeed, the economy needs to add about 130,000 jobs each month just to keep pace with new workers entering the market. The labor pool is packed with 15 million Americans looking for work, and state and local governments cut another 10,000 jobs in June, cuts likely to accelerate this summer.

The weeks leading up to Friday’s report offered a grim rat-a-tat-tat of statistics pointing to a slowing economy. Auto sales fell, housing sales plunged and unemployment claims rose to a peak higher than is normal for an economic recovery.