Posted on 09/07/2012 5:33:38 AM PDT by xzins
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- AUGUST 2012
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 96,000 in August, and the unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment increased in food services and drinking places, in professional and technical services, and in health care.
Household Survey Data
The unemployment rate edged down in August to 8.1 percent. Since the beginning of this year, the rate has held in a narrow range of 8.1 to 8.3 percent. The number of unemployed persons, at 12.5 million, was little changed in August. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (7.6 percent), adult women (7.3 percent), teenagers (24.6 percent), whites (7.2 percent), blacks (14.1 percent), and Hispanics (10.2 percent) showed little or no change in August. The jobless rate for Asians was 5.9 percent (not seasonally adjusted), little changed from a year earlier. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
In August, the number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 5.0 million. These individuals accounted for 40.0 percent of the unemployed. (See table A-12.)
Both the civilian labor force (154.6 million) and the labor force participation rate (63.5 percent) declined in August. The employment-population ratio, at 58.3 percent, was little changed. (See table A-1.)
The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part-time workers) was little changed at 8.0 million in August. These individuals were working part time because their hours had been cut back or because they were unable to find a full-time job. (See table A-8.)
In August, 2.6 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, essentially unchanged from a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally adjusted.) These individuals were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months. They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. (See table A-16.)
Among the marginally attached, there were 844,000 discouraged workers in August, a decline of 133,000 from a year earlier. (These data are not seasonally adjusted.) Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them. The remaining 1.7 million persons marginally attached to the labor force in August had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey for reasons such as school attendance or family responsibilities. (See table A-16.)
Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 96,000 in August. Since the beginning of this year, employment growth has averaged 139,000 per month, compared with an average monthly gain of 153,000 in 2011. In August, employment rose in food services and drinking places, in professional and technical services, and in health care. (See table B-1.)
Employment in food services and drinking places increased by 28,000 in August and by 298,000 over the past 12 months.
Employment in professional and technical services rose in August (+27,000). Job gains occurred in computer systems design and related services (+11,000) and management and technical consulting services (+9,000).
Health care employment rose by 17,000 in August. Ambulatory health care services and hospitals added 14,000 and 6,000 jobs, respectively. From June through August, job growth in health care averaged 15,000 per month, compared with an average monthly gain of 28,000 in the prior 12 months.
Utilities employment increased in August (+9,000). The increase reflects the return of utility workers who were off payrolls in July due to a labor-management dispute.
Within financial activities, finance and insurance added 11,000 jobs in August. Employment in wholesale trade continued to trend up. Employment in temporary help services changed little over the month and has shown little movement, on net, since February.
Manufacturing employment edged down in August (-15,000). A decline in motor vehicles and parts (-8,000) partially offset a gain in July. Auto manufacturers laid off fewer workers for factory retooling than usual in July, and fewer workers than usual were recalled in August.
Employment in other major industries, including mining and logging, construction, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, information, and government, showed little change over the month.
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 34.4 hours in August. The manufacturing workweek declined by 0.2 hour to 40.5 hours, and factory overtime was unchanged at 3.2 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 33.7 hours. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)
In August, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged down by 1 cent to $23.52. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings rose by 1.7 percent. In August, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and nonsupervisory employees edged down by 1 cent to $19.75. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for June was revised from +64,000 to +45,000, and the change for July was revised from +163,000 to +141,000.
______________ The Employment Situation for September is scheduled to be released on Friday, October 5, 2012, at 8:30 a.m. (EDT).
It- Has already happened- THe RED STAR TRibune HEADLINE:
Unemployment Rate FALLS to 8.1 !
(they also sent this out as a “news Alert”)
LOL...that's the perfect visual for Obamanomics™!
"They can still manipulate the numbers at the end of September to get that 8.1% into the 7.9% range. Don't be surprised if we see the number UNDER 8.0% headlinging the news just before the election."
I know the MSM would try to spin that as wonderful- but why should we let them control the narrative? Even 7% unemployment is a disaster after this long into the supposed "recovery". Obama has squandered trillions and trillions to barely move the needle from when he took office.
And IIRC, the Obama administration told us we would be under 6% unemployment by now with the stimulus package. So, by his own standards, his signature economic piece was a colossal failure...
that’s true but you know the elft will just tell their cult that the unemployment rate is down and the cult will cheer and then get onto FB and then tell their pals how oabma is helping us and how unemployment is down.
Facts are something which most of the left cannot understand
This stinks to high heaven. There is no way you drop job gains from 141,000 in july to 96,000 in august (30 percent drop) and say unemployment went down. Any of their “explanations” is just BS.
@DLeonhardt
Jobs preview: 100k or less=recovery still hobbled; 100-150: picking up but slowly; 150-200:spring lull is over; 200+: liftoff, at long last?
Good riddance!
Bulleye, PT.
You are a credit to your freeper name.
How do you have fewer jobs created (96000) and then turn around and say things are getting better (8.1% instead of 8.3%)?
That's like a politician telling a worker he's going to lower the guy's income through higher taxes, but that he'll be better off. if the worker has any sense, he'll call that politician an idiot.
Even a good report on November 2 will be hard to spin until election day. And don't forget that about a third of voters vote early or by absentee ballot.
No president since FDR during the Great Depression, has been re-elected with a jobless rate over 8 percent.
How many tried?
Bloomberg had Hilda Silas on, saying it was PROOF that, “America is moving in the right direction!”.
Worse yet. she said it with a straight face...
I believe they have been feeding us lies out of Obama labor dept for months and months, was surprised a bit they did not build it up a bit?
And FDR lowered the unemployment rate in his first term. In 1933 when he took office it was 24.1%. In 1936, it had dropped to 17%. Thus, FDR could claim his policies were working. Obama won’t be able to lower the unemployment to below 7.8% when he took office.
No that 380,000 number means no longer looking for work, not that they’re employed. IF that were try the job report would reflect that.
This is not a good jobs report no matter how anybody tries to spin it.
Happy days are here again!
Except I’m being laid off for the second time under Odumbo. Never before, in 30 years. Probably a coincidence.
Last time I had severance, and actually came out ahead. Not too worried now, since I expect a Romney victory.
But let’s just say that when this asshat gets booted, I’m going to fire up the biggest stogie I can find. (Cue guy smoking giant doobie photo).
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