At 1527 GMT, the rand traded at 17.2200 against the dollar, 0.3% stronger than its previous close.
Nonfarm payrolls rose by 315,000 jobs in August, U.S. data showed, topping the consensus forecast of 300,000 jobs by economists polled by Reuters.
The dollar index, which tracks the currency against six rivals, was last down 0.54% at 109.00 after erasing a chunk of losses it endured earlier.
Emerging market currencies such as the rand tend to take cues from global drivers in the absence of major local economic data points.
On the local front next week, investor focus will be on second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) figures, a purchasing managers' index (PMI) survey and manufacturing data among others, which could give clues on the health of the economy.
Investec analyst Lara Hodes said in a research note she expected second-quarter GDP to have contracted due to the effects of severe floods in the KwaZulu-Natal province.
Shares on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) ended higher, helped by companies in the energy and basic materials sector as oil and gold prices rose.
Overall on the stock market, the Top-40 index closed 2.25% higher, while the broader all-share ended up 2.05%.
The government's benchmark 2030 bond gained, with the yield down 22.5 basis points to 10.325%.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru; Editing by Josie Kao)
