WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. job market is proving sturdier than expected at a time when the economy is under pressure from Washington gridlock and the threat of government spending cuts.

Employers added 157,000 jobs in January, and hiring was much stronger at the end of last year than the government had previously estimated.

The Labor Department’s estimated job gains for the final two months of 2012 – a period when the economy was being threatened by the fiscal cliff – rose from 161,000 to 247,000 for November and from 155,000 to 196,000 for December.