(Washington, DC) — The monthly jobs report shows little change in unemployment for the month of August and a lower-than-expected rise in new jobs.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 142-thousand new jobs were added last month, which is stronger than July’s job growth but not as much as predicted by economists. The unemployment rate ticked downward at four-point-two percent.
These measures are higher than a year earlier, when the jobless rate was 3.8 percent, and the number of unemployed people was 6.3 million.
Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 142,000 over the month, Construction employment rose by 34,000, Health care added 31,000 jobs in August, employment in manufacturing edged down in August, employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; wholesale trade; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; other services; and government.