The US jobless rate dipped to a 4 1/2-year low of 4.7 per cent last month, helped by mild winter weather that powered the construction business, the government said Friday. The rate fell from 4.9 per cent in December as the US economy created nearly 200,000 new jobs in January, the Labour Department said. It was the lowest unemployment rate since July 2001. --SP 22 13 Local Time 19 13 GMT
