209,000 jobs added in July

209,000 Jobs Added in July

Jobs report numbers are seasonally adjusted. Source: BLS.gov

The Latest From the BLS Employment Report:

The Labor Department released its July hiring and unemployment figures on Friday morning, providing the latest snapshot of the American economy.

The July jobs report showed an increase in total nonfarm employment by 209,000 jobs. The unemployment rate decreased slightly to 4.3 percent, continuing to hover at a 16-year low. The June jobs report was also revised up by 9,000 jobs to 231,000. This news is expected to have positive results in the stock market and government bonds.

This month, the largest employment increases occurred in food services and drinking places, professional and business services and health care.

Economists’ predictions

Economists had expected employment gains of 180,000. Actual gains of 209,000 exceeded those expectations.

This Month’s Jobs Report

Let’s break down the numbers from this month’s jobs report.

In July, hourly wages increased by $0.09 to $26.36 per hour, following a 5 cent increase in June. This brings the year-over-year wage percentage increase to 2.5 percent. The unemployment rate saw a slight downtick to 4.3 percent.

BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.