European shares close lower on rise in US jobless

* FTSEurofirst 300 closes 2.6 percent lower

* U.S. jobless well above forecast; ECB holds rates

* Elan soars after J&J takes stake

By Brian Gorman

LONDON, July 2 (Reuters) - European shares closed lower on Thursday after U.S. employers cut far more jobs than expected, casting further doubt on the strength of economic recovery.

The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index fell 2.6 percent to close at 843.0 points, the day's low.

The European benchmark index is still up more than 30 percent from its lifetime low of March 9, but the rally has stalled in recent weeks.

The U.S. labour market continues to struggle with a deep recession. The loss of 467,000 jobs in June compared with the 363,000 consensus of Wall Street economists polled by Reuters and broke a four-month trend of moderation in job losses.