Article source: ConstructConnect
August’s Employment Situation report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) records a month-to-month increase in U.S. total employment of +156,000.
The +156,000 figure is a little weaker than the seven-month average so far this year of +176,000.
Furthermore, this year’s January-through-August average of +176,000 is -9.2% compared with the +194,000 number for the same time frame last year.
Just the same, +150,000 or more is a benchmark that defines when a jobs report should be greeted with warmth.
The nation’s unemployment rate in August eased back a little to 4.4% from 4.3% in July.
Goods production contributed more towards the total jobs increase in August than is normally the case. Mining, forestry, construction and manufacturing combined for a +70,000 month-to-month jobs gain, or nearly 50% of the +156,000 total.
