Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 1.8 million in July, and the unemployment rate fell to 10.2 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. These improvements in the labor market reflected the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and efforts to contain it. In July, notable job gains occurred in leisure and hospitality, government, retail trade, professional and business services, other services, and health care. This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status, ... (full story)

Two months of record-setting payroll growth slowed in July as a rise in coronavirus cases put a damper on the struggling U.S. economy. The total nonfarm payroll increased of 1.763 million for the month was still better than Wall Street had expected. The unemployment rate fell to 10.2%, also better than the estimates from economists surveyed by Dow Jones. The consensu was for growth of 1.4 million and an unemployment rate of 10.6%. However, there were wide variations around the estimates as the pandemic’s resurgence dented plans to get the shuttered U.S. economy back online. Forecasts ranged from a decline of half a ... (full story)