US job figures reveal a mixed picture.

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Employment in the US held steady last month, bolstering hopes that the economy will avoid a painful downturn. Latest job figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show employers added 187,000 jobs while the jobless rate dropped to 3.5%. Plus presenter Leanna Byrne speaks to Shannon K.O’Neil, a Latin American expert and vice-president of the Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank in the US, about how inflation and increasing political pressures are pushing more people to leave countries such as Argentina and Venezuela and head north to the US in search of a better life. Leanna Byrne speaks to Colin Peacock, producer and presenter of Mediawatch in New Zealand and Dr Stephanie Hare, researcher, broadcaster and author in London to discuss the day’s top business stories.