According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 22,000 in August, while the unemployment rate remained relatively stable at 4.3%. Employment saw notable increases in health care and social assistance, whereas federal government, mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction experienced declines. These findings are based on two monthly surveys: the household survey, which measures labour force status, including unemployment by demographic characteristics, and the establishment survey, which assesses nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry.

Household Survey Data

In August, the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.3%, with 7.4 million people unemployed. The rates for major worker groups, including adult men (4.1%), adult women (3.8%), teenagers (13.9%), Whites (3.7%), Blacks (7.5%), Asians (3.6%), and Hispanics (5.3%), showed little change.

The number of long-term unemployed remained at 1.9 million, accounting for 25.7% of all unemployed individuals—an increase of 385,000 over the year.

The labour force participation rate (62.3%) and the employment-population ratio (59.6%) showed little change, both down 0.4 percentage points over the year. The number of people employed part-time for economic reasons remained at 4.7 million. These individuals preferred full-time jobs but were working part-time due to reduced hours or inability to find full-time employment.

The number of people not in the labour force who wanted a job remained at 6.4 million, up by 722,000 over the year. Among them, 1.8 million were marginally attached to the labour force, and 514,000 were discouraged workers who believed no jobs were available for them.

Establishment Survey Data

In August, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 22,000, continuing a trend of minimal change since April. Notable job gains occurred in health care (+31,000), with growth in ambulatory health care services (+13,000), nursing and residential care facilities (+9,000), and hospitals (+9,000). Social assistance employment rose by 16,000, driven by gains in individual and family services.

Federal government employment declined by 15,000 and is down by 97,000 since January. Employment in mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction fell by 6,000. Wholesale trade employment also declined by 12,000, while manufacturing employment decreased by 12,000, including a 15,000 drop in transportation equipment manufacturing due in part to strike activity.

Employment in other major industries—including construction; retail trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services—showed little change over the month.

Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 10 cents to $36.53, marking a 3.7% rise over the past year. The average workweek for all employees remained unchanged at 34.2 hours, with production and nonsupervisory employees also seeing no change at 33.7 hours.

Revisions for June and July showed a net decrease of 21,000 jobs, with June’s employment revised down by 27,000 to -13,000 and July’s revised up by 6,000 to +79,000. These revisions resulted from additional reports and recalculations of seasonal factors.

Disclaimer: