European shares pare gains after U.S. jobs report

LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - European shares pared gains on Friday, stung by worse-than-expected U.S. non-farm payrolls numbers which casted a doubt over the pace of economic recovery in the country.

By 1240 GMT, the pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 .FTEU3 index of top shares was up 0.4 percent at 972.67 points, having touched a high 981.89 after the data was released.

U.S. employment fell for the first time this year in June as thousands of temporary census jobs ended and private hiring grew less than expected, dealing a blow to President Barack Obama who has identified job creation as a key priority. [ID:ID:nN01165161] (Reporting by Harpreet Bhal)