Federal Reserve officials say the U.S. economy kept rolling from late February to early April and low unemployment appears to be spurring an uptick in wage growth.
Pay increased in all but one of the Fed's 12 regional bank districts and several reported signs of a pickup in wage growth, the U.S. central bank said in its Beige Book report of anecdotal information collected from business contacts nationwide.
The Fed has signaled caution in lifting interest rates this year as it waits to see if the nation's economy can shrug off slowing global growth and risks posed by a strong dollar and sustained period of low oil prices.
Stagnant wages have also hindered inflation, which is running below the 2% rate policymakers would like to see.
The Fed reported that manufacturing increased in most districts but expectations for future growth were mixed. One particular bright spot in the employment picture was the healthcare sector, which grew at a solid pace in a number of districts.
Boston, Cleveland and St. Louis Fed districts cited "sizable" wage increases for jobs in information technology services, skilled construction and manufacturing.
Fed policymakers next meet in two weeks. The Fed dialed back expectations on further hikes this year, after it raised interest rates by a quarter-percentage point from near zero last December.
