U.S. gains 201,000 jobs in August; unemployment flat at 3.9%

• September 7, 2018
• realestatelife
• Announcements, Business & Markets, Real Estate, Real Estate Finance, Your Real Estate Life

The U.S. added 201,000 new jobs in August, a sign the economy was still expanding strongly toward the end of summer. The increase matched the 200,000 estimate. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.9%. The biggest news was higher worker pay. The average wage paid to American workers rose by 10 cents, or 0.4%, to $27.16 an hour. The yearly rate of pay increases climbed to 2.9% from 2.7%, marking the highest level since the end of the Great Recession in June 2009. Employment gains for July and June, meanwhile, were revised down by a combined 50,000, the Labor Department said Friday. The government said 147,000 new jobs were created in July instead of 157,000. June’s increase was cut to 208,000 from 248,000.