WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The U.S. added 236,000 jobs in February and the unemployment rate fell to 7.7% from 7.9%, marking the lowest level since December 2008, in another sign that hiring and economic growth are gaining momentum. The job gains were the highest since November and were broad based, led by professional services (73,000), construction (48,000), health care (32,000) and retail (24,000), the Labor Department reported Friday. Economists polled by MarketWatch expected the number of new jobs to increase by 160,000 and for the unemployment rate to remain unchanged at 7.9%. Employment gains for January were revised lower but December hiring was revised up, resulting in little change overall. The number of new jobs created in January was revised to 119,000 from 157,000, while December's figure was revised up to 219,000 from 196,000. The economy has added an average of 191,000 jobs over the past three months. In February, the average workweek rose 0.1 hour to 34.5, while average hourly earnings climbed 4 cents, or 0.2%, to $23.82. Hourly wages have risen 2.1% over the past 12 months. All the hiring in February took place in the private sector. Business added 246,000 jobs while government positions were cut by 10,000.