Washington, D.C. ? Consumer spending and incomes rose more than expected at the start of the year, but the gains were seen as fleeting in light of the recession and the waves of layoffs battering Americans.

Two other reports Monday on manufacturing and construction also showed little reason for optimism. Analysts said any start to an economic rebound is at best months away, with the most pessimistic predicting a sustained recovery won’t begin until next year.

The Commerce Department said consumer spending rose 0.6 percent in January, the first increase after a record six straight monthly declines, and slightly better than the 0.4 percent rise economists had expected.

Incomes also showed more strength than expected, rising 0.4 percent, although that gain came primarily from annual pay raises for federal workers and a 5.8 percent cost-of-living increase for the 50 million people receiving Social Security benefits.

Private sector wages and salaries, the key component of incomes, actually fell for a fifth straight month. That reflected the wave of layoffs occurring as the recession, already the longest in a quarter-century, intensifies.

Employers cut a net total of 598,000 jobs in January, the most in more than three decades, as the unemployment rate shot up to a 16-year high of 7.6 percent. Economists and the government expect the jobless rate will keep rising in the months ahead.

Because of all the problems facing the economy, the January rebound in consumer spending was not seen as the start of an upward trend.