U.S. August Nonfarm Payroll Up 162,000, Jobless Rate Steady


   
Maria Eugenia Garcia
DTN Energy Editor

   HOUSTON, TX (DTN) --The U.S. labor market rose in August to add 162,000 
jobs, from July's revised 21,000 while the unemployment rate remained steady at 
4.1% from July,  the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced Friday (1/9). 
The job growth was above market expectations of 55,000 but below a forecast for 
an unemployment rate of 4.2%.

   Employment trended higher in food services, drinking places and in local 
government education, while employment in the information industry declined, 
the BLS said.

   The number of people who had been jobless for 27 weeks or more changed 
little at 1.9 million. Those employed part time for economic reasons was also 
little changed at 5.3 million.

   The number of people employed part time for economic reasons decreased by 
414,000 to 4.4 million in August. "These individuals would have preferred 
full-time employment but were working part time because their hours had been 
reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs," according to the BLS.

   In August, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm 
payrolls rose by 10 cents, or 0.3%, to $37.75. Over the year, average hourly 
earnings have increased by 3.1%.




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