EconoIndicators

Employment Situation At a Glance

• Total Employment: 145,477 million
• Nonfarm Payroll Employment: 137,473 million
• Monthly Change: Down 84,000
• Unemployed Persons: 9.4 million
• Unemployment Rate: 6.1%
• Change: Up 0.4%

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THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: AUGUST 2008

The unemployment rate rose from 5.7 to 6.1 percent in August, and non-
farm payroll employment continued to trend down (-84,000), the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. In August,
employment fell in manufacturing and employment services, while mining and
health care continued to add jobs. Average hourly earnings rose by 7 cents,
or 0.4 percent, over the month.

Unemployment (Household Survey Data)

The number of unemployed persons rose by 592,000 to 9.4 million in August,
and the unemployment rate increased by 0.4 percentage point to 6.1 percent.
Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by
2.2 million and the unemployment rate has risen by 1.4 percentage points,
with most of the increase occurring over the past 4 months. (See table A-1.)

Total Employment and the Labor Force (Household Survey Data)

The civilian labor force, at 154.9 million, was about unchanged in August,
and the labor force participation rate remained at 66.1 percent. Total employ-
ment, at 145.5 million, was little changed from July.

In August, the number of persons who worked part time for economic reasons
was essentially unchanged at 5.7 million.

The number of multiple jobholders increased by 298,000 in August to 8.1 million, accounting for 5.5 percent of total employed. (See table A-6.)

Employment Situation Report – August 2008 [PDF]

Source: Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics