The US unemployment rate edged down to 4.1% in July from 4.2% in June, a modest improvement. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Employment Situation report on August 7, and total nonfarm payrolls declined by 23,000 in July. It follows a revised gain of just 20,000 in June, and the average monthly job growth over the prior 12 months has been revised down to 34,000 per month.
The details paint a mixed picture
Manufacturing payrolls gained 5,000 jobs during the month. Health care continued adding positions, contributing 22,000 jobs. Local government education shed 50,000 jobs, the single largest sectoral decline in the report. Retail trade lost 19,000 positions.
The labor force participation rate held steady at 61.4%, while the employment-population ratio stayed at 58.9%. The total number of unemployed Americans sits at roughly 6.9 million.
Revisions tell the real story
