Businesses added new jobs for the eighth month in a row in August,
but overall the U.S. workers saw a loss in jobs for third straight month.
According to the Department of Labor, private employers added 67,000 jobs to their payrolls --
much better than the forecast of 44,000 jobs.
But because the government cut 121,000 jobs -- including 114,000 temporary census workers --
the overall job market declined by 54,000 jobs.
Because of the overall loss of jobs, the unemployment rate worsened slightly last month,
climbing to 9.6 percent from 9.5 percent in July.
The news, coming on the heels of Labor Day weekend, was mixed for job-seekers; however,
there are definite signs of hope in the private sector for continued job growth --
even if that growth is agonizingly too slow for the many folks still seeking employment.
The Labor Department also revised private sector hiring in June and July, reporting that
businesses added 168,000 in those two months -- rather than the 102,000 estimated previously.
In terms of job growth in August, healthcare employers added 28,000 jobs, construction
employment rose 19,000, and temp agencies increased staffing by 17,000.
In terms of job losses -- besides census workers and cash-strapped state governments --
manufacturers, who had been adding workers for most of the year, cut 27,000 jobs last month.
Finally, the nation's unemployed and underemployed came in at 16.7 percent last month --
up from 16.5 percent in July.
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