235,000 Jobs Added in August, Well Short of Estimates
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The U.S. economy added 232,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate fell from 5.4% to 5.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. It's the lowest monthly number of jobs added since January. Economists predicted that roughly 750,000 jobs would be added; reports across the spectrum cited the recent rise in COVID-19 cases and the spread of the Delta variant as reasons for the slowed growth. The economy has added roughly 17 million jobs since April 2020; overall employment is down 3.5% since the beginning of the pandemic.
Outlets across the spectrum highlighted the news Friday. There were few notable differences in coverage from left- and right-rated outlets.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Right
American Employers Added 235,000 Jobs in August, Far Below ExpectationsAmerica’s private employers added just 235,000 jobs in August, significantly undershooting market expectations and fueling speculation that the weak signal in the labor market recovery may lead the Federal Reserve to delay tapering of stimulus.
The Labor Department’s jobs report, released Sept. 3, shows that non-farm payroll employment rose by 235,000 in August, down from 943,000 jobs added in July and far below the FactSet-provided consensus forecasts of 750,000.
“With a big shortfall in jobs creation or recovery in August, it appears the Delta variant has infected the U.S. economy. Payrolls growth came in...
From the Left
Job growth slowed sharply in August as COVID-19 spreadHiring across the U.S. pulled back dramatically in August as a surge in COVID-19 cases caused by the Delta variant dragged down the recovery.
Employers added 235,000 jobs last month, the Labor Department reported on Friday, far fewer than the roughly 700,000 expected by forecasters. The nation's unemployment rate fell to 5.2%, from 5.4%.
The monthly job gains are a big drop from July, when more than 1 million jobs were created, according to revised government data.
"The labor market recovery cooled markedly in August as businesses and job seekers grew more cautious in...
From the Center
Jobs report disappoints — only 235,000 positions added vs. expectations of 720,000Job creation for August was a huge disappointment, with the economy adding just 235,000 positions, the Labor Department reported Friday.
Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 720,000 new hires.
The unemployment rate dropped to 5.2% from 5.4%, in line with estimates.
August’s total — the worst since January — comes with heightened fears of the pandemic and the impact that rising Covid cases could have on what has been a mostly robust recovery. The weak report could cloud policy for the Federal Reserve, which is weighing whether...
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