Fed's Pianalto sees "uneven" economic activity

(Reuters) - The meager U.S. employment gains last month show "the uneven pattern" of activity in an economy that, overall, is showing some forward momentum, a top U.S. Federal Reserve official said on Monday.

Cleveland Fed President Sandra Pianalto, a voting member this year on the central bank's policy-setting committee, said the economy needs to grow at a faster rate in order to speed up the pace of employment growth and repair damage from the 2007-2009 recession.

"If our economy were a Kentucky thoroughbred, I'd say we have moved from a walk to a trot, but we're far from a gallop," Pianalto, who did not specifically mention monetary policy, said at a bankers' event in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Fed next meets on April 24-25, when it is not expected to adopt any fresh policy measures beyond its ultra-easy monetary stance, but rather use the meeting to discuss the latest economic developments and further refinements to its communications strategy.

Still, a Reuters poll conducted after the release of disappointing March employment figures found most Wall Street primary dealers think a third round of Fed bond-buying will eventually take place.

Although the jobless rate slipped to a still-high 8.2 percent in March, jobs growth slowed sharply, raising fears the labor market could sputter out as it did a year ago.

"Recent labor market data provide an example of the uneven pattern of economic activity," Pianalto said, citing the surprisingly good jobs reports in January and February. "Monthly ups and downs like these make it hard to confirm the underlying pace of job creation."

(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer in New York; Editing by Padraic Cassidy)