U.S. employers continued expanding payrolls in August, adding 315,000 positions, according to the latest jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These gains mark 20 consecutive months of job growth in the United States.
Employment in the U.S. has increased by about 3.1 million jobs since the start of 2022. That figure reflects August’s gains plus adjustments for June and July. The BLS reports that the number of jobs added in those two months was lower than previously reported — by 107,000 positions.
Professional and business services, healthcare, lead in August job growth
The professional and business services sector saw solid job gains last month, with employers adding 68,000 positions. That number includes 11,600 temporary help services roles.
Education and health services employers also expanded payrolls by 68,000 in August.
These industries saw notable job gains last month as well, according to the BLS:
- Retail trade: 44,000 jobs added
- Leisure and hospitality: 31,000 jobs added
- Manufacturing: 22,000 jobs added
- Financial activities: 17,000 jobs added
- Construction: 16,000 jobs added
- Wholesale trade: 15,100 jobs added
Unemployment rate rises to 3.7%
In the latest jobs report, the BLS notes that the national unemployment rate increased to 3.7% in August — moving up from 3.5% in July, which was a 50-year low.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for college-degreed workers who are 25 or older — those most highly sought-after by employers — continues to track well below the national rate. It was 1.9% in August, edging down from 2.0% in July.
Other data from the BLS show that employers remain challenged in finding skilled workers available for hire, and there is evidence the Great Resignation is still in effect. On the last business day of July, there were 11.2 million job openings in the United States. Also, 4.2 million workers quit their jobs voluntarily in July — the same figure the BLS reported in June.
Percentage of employed persons working remotely drops to 6.5%
The BLS reports that 6.5% of employed persons teleworked in August due to the COVID-19 pandemic — down from 7.1% in July. The agency describes these workers as employed persons who worked away from the office for pay at some point in the last four weeks, specifically because of the pandemic.
Number of people unable to work due to pandemic decreases to 1.9 million
Household survey supplemental data provided in the latest jobs report shows that the number of people unable to work at all, or who worked fewer hours at some point in the four weeks preceding the latest survey due to the pandemic, was 1.9 million. In July, that figure was 2.2 million.
The BLS also reports that among the persons not in the labor force in August, 523,000 were prevented from looking for work due to the pandemic.
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