The Labor Department's report showed that a drag from a strike at General Motors was offset by gains elsewhere, while hiring in the prior two months was stronger than previously estimated, offering assurance that consumers would continue to prop up the slowing economy for a while.

The benchmark 10-year yield was last up 1.2 basis points to 1.703%. The two-year yield , a proxy for market expectations of interest rate moves, was up 3 basis points to 1.556%.

(Reporting by Kate Duguid; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)