Civic Register
| 9.3.21

U.S. Economy Added 235K Jobs in August, Falling Nearly 500K Short of Expectations
How do you feel about the state of the job market?
What’s the story?
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on Friday released its jobs report for August 2021, which found the U.S. economy added 235,000 jobs and the unemployment declined by 0.2 percentage points to 5.2%. The report falls short of the Dow Jones forecast.
- The report comes after about 1 million jobs were added in each of the last two months, and means the U.S. economy has recovered about 75% of jobs lost during the pandemic with 5.3 million left to be regained.
Jobs Report Sector Breakdown
- Professional and business services added 74,000 jobs, with the largest gains in architectural and engineering services (+19,000) and computer systems design (+10,000). The sector is down 468,000 jobs compared to February 2020.
- Transportation and warehousing added 53,000 jobs, which brings the sector slightly above (+22,000) its pre-pandemic level in February 2020.
- Manufacturing added 37,000 jobs in August and is 378,000 jobs below its February 2020 level.
- Employment in the leisure and hospitality sector was relatively unchanged in August after increasing by an average of 350,000 per month for the last six months. Gains in arts, entertainment, and recreation (+36,000) were more than offset by losses in food and drinking places (-42,000). Employment in the sector is 1.7 million jobs (or 10%) below its February 2020 level.
- Retail employment declined by 29,000 jobs in August, with losses in food and beverage stores (-23,000) and in building material and garden supply stores (-13,000). The retail sector is down 285,000 jobs compared to February 2020.
Long-Term Unemployment
- The number of Americans considered to be long-term unemployed (defined as jobless for 27 weeks or more) decreased by 246,000 in August to 3.2 million.
- The number of long-term unemployed is 2.1 million higher than in February 2020. Long-term unemployed accounted for 37.4% of the total unemployed in August.
Demographic Unemployment Information
- Unemployment rates declined for adult men (to 5.1% from 5.4% in July), adult women (4.8% from 5.0% in July), and increased among teenagers (11.2% from 9.6% in July).
- Unemployment rates declined among whites (4.5% from 4.8% in July), Hispanics (to 6.4% from 6.6% in July), Asians (to 4.6% from 5.3% in July), and increased among blacks (to 8.8% from 8.2% in July).
Revisions & Data Notes
- Employment in June was revised up by 24,000 from +938,000 to +968,000.
- Employment in July was revised up by 110,000 from +943,000 to +1,053,000.
- As it has since March 2020, the BLS published an estimate of what the unemployment rate would have been had misclassified workers been included. The misclassification hinges on a question about the main reason people were absent from their jobs, with people absent due to temporary, pandemic-related closures recorded as absent due to “other reasons” as opposed to unemployed due to temporary layoff.
- Using this approach, the August unemployment rate would have been 0.3 percentage points higher than reported. The BLS notes that this represents the upper bound of their estimate of misclassification and probably overstates the size of the misclassification error.
- According to usual practice at the BLS, data is accepted as recorded in the household survey. To maintain data integrity, no ad hoc actions are taken to reclassify survey responses.
— Eric Revell
(Photo Credit: iStock.com / gorodenkoff)
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With the Red States Grand Plan to stop the extra Federal unemployment insurance funding it was expected people would be forced to go back to work. Forced is the correct word. Unfortunately, the. GOP/Trump Party’s Plan was, as usual, a Yuge bust! 😂🤣 People are staying home, going to the gym, hanging with friends, catching COVID - anything but that 4 letter word -WORK! The GOP Failed Again. The Texas Three Stooges Failed Again.
I think most of these jobs are at McDonald’s, Uber, Walmart, etc if this country doesn’t do a better job at educating people we’re going down the tubes. Just look at the republican party right now and what it’s doing to America it’s all due to lack of education.
You’re mandated to ware a seat belt, child car seat and other vaccinations to go to schools. If it was not sad, it be funny, the unvaccinated, the corona virus deniers, religious beliefs, freedom of choice and conspiracy theories that refuses or can’t be vaccinated are 95% of who are in the hospital and dying. You are play Russian roulette, one on getting corona virus and two dying, plus affecting others and children. In Washington state a whole country came down with chickenpox, guess what they did believe in, vaccine.
Well what do you expect when American jobs were outsourced to cheep labor countries and the current administration supports a hostile and restrictive work environment?
Too much is still uncertain about a return to work. And what about those who have died of Covid and the status of their former jobs? Yes it’s not millions but there are those who had been stricken with Covid and may not be able or are reluctant to return to their previous jobs. I think the expected numbers need to be altered to consider the impact of Covid on the workplace.
Biden and the democrat party has ruined it. We need President Trump back!!!!!!!!
Start evicting people, close the borders and announce the kick ass tax raises that are coming - People will go back to work UNLESS some idiot says you must get experimental genetic altering poison injected into you. Eh Commrades!
Keeping people on unemployment benefits and handing out relief money ad infinitum is contributing to making people lazy and unmotivated to return to work. Everywhere you go there are signs in the windows looking to hire. Hotels, restaurants, businesses of every kind want to reopen but find themselves understaffed. When will Democrats learn that giving away so much candy only makes you fat and unproductive! The economy would be doing so much better if the Federal government would just get out of the way!
@Dave, economy cons
With all the "social justice" welfare in the form of stimulus checks and extra on unemployment benefits a lot of people have decided to stay home because it paid more than to actually find a job. Last week there was an article about rebuilding after hurricane Ida because of the lack of workers. Having no incentive to 'earn" a paycheck will set the reconstruction back. Sad! Both of my adult children have worked during the pandemic because they have a self-worth in the value working hard to bring home a paycheck!
JimK you need to take a breath & breath! First 90% of news is controlled by the left so called “journalist” like Rachel/ CNN. SECOND the majority of those who are refusing to be vaccinated are the Hispanic & Blacks who are having trouble believing our every changing policy on the vaccine. Just look at your local State/City vaccination rates on ethnicity and it’s not because of trying. My city sends out pop sites, uses churches & offer “prizes” & money so how do you explain that this the Right wing’s fault. My city is also 75% Democrats so I’d like you to explain that! Maybe if the CDC & the Administration would get their act together maybe these stragglers would get the shot & get back to work.
With the Delta still here it will be up and down. Also many changing jobs.
I feel employers abuse their employees! That is how I feel about the economy. I realize some of you, such as Mitchell McConnell, have never held a job in the private sector, so you-up there on The Hill-have no idea how the rest of us live and what we have to put up with to survive. You are probably blithely unaware that outside of Pittsburgh at UPMC owned hospitals there are thirty patients to one CNA-and then all of you are astounded when these workers simply give up and take positions elsewhere and not in their chosen fields-You should all be ashamed of yourselves!
The job market is fine for now. When EVERYONE is vaccinated the economy will bounce back quickly. Right now parents of children under the age of 12 have a reason to fear going out anywhere. If more adults were acting responsibly and getting vaccinated, the economy would get back to normal more quickly. But too many gop Americans are choosing to believe conspiracy theories about the vaccine.
Not surprised. Until we get the virus under control the economy is going to be in for a bumpy ride. And we won't get the virus under control until idiots (who are mostly Republicans) get the vaccine and the damn Republican governors/mayors start following public health guidelines. Until and unless these measures are in action, to think that the economy will be fully operational is like believing that the Tooth Fairy is impacted by inflation. However, I don't see any hope that the dumb ass Republicans are going to suddenly wake up and smell the virus, thus I think we can expect more and more problems with the economy.
While I'm glad to be back working I'm concerned about not returning to my previous income (which was barely sustainable pre pandemic). The pandemic is not over and yet pandemic assistance is ending and those who have not been able to secure new employment with decent wages are being cut off, how can we allow this? Taking any job that still doesn't pay the bills is not helpful. If affordable childcare is not available, or taking any job prevents interviewing or training for a better one is prevented, taking a job is a zero sum effort. In my case, I am an older adult and even getting an interview in the new field I trained for has been impossible and the ONE interview I DID get was pretty much "you have been doing what you were doing a long time and really must enjoy that, don't be offended if we don't hire you", just another way of saying "you're too old". It's a good thing I'm old enough to be taking Social Security, which helps but is not enough even with the work I have. It will be extremely important for the cap on Social Security contributions to be removed, since the lowered amounts paid in will mean struggling seniors will struggle even more in the future. It is also extremely important to raise the maximum amount seniors taking Social Security CAN earn if still working as the current definition of poverty is ridiculously low given the vastly increased costs of living since that definition was originally put in place. We need a major overhaul of our entire way of life so that we can live sustainably and better prepare for future pandemics and climate change.
People have become lazy and don't want to work. Businesses are cutting hours just to stay in business. Police jobs can't be filled since the Chauvin trial. Jobs are there but there is no personal benefit.
The economy is not going to stabilize until everyone gets vaccinated. Thanks to Fox, most of the trumpublicans think it is their freedom to NOT get the shot and keep everything in chaos. They don't care who gets ill and dies.
First, this is a very difficult time to maintain any sort of momentum in jobs growth. Would I have liked to see another 700,000 jobs added - yes!! I am still glad job growth is occurring!! We are still moving upward!! The Delta variant is a major downer!! I believe until the total vaccinated is in the 80 to 90 percent range will we see unemployment down in the prepandemic range!! Get a shot!!
The rise of the delta variant has left the job market hurting. I find it very disturbing that the terrorist/Taliban party thinks it is a good idea to hurt President Biden by killing their constituents and their children. Everyone who does not encourage their constituents to get vaccinated is guilty of the murders they cause. Charge them as they deserve!