Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2011-08-05

Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the employment and unemployment data we released this morning. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 117,000 in July, following 2 months of little change. The unemployment rate was 9.1 percent in July and has shown little definitive movement since April. Private-sector employment increased by 154,000 over the month. Health care employment rose by 31,000 in July, as both hospitals and ambulatory care services added jobs. Retail trade employment increased by 26,000. In the manufacturing sector, employment expanded by 24,000, with gains in motor vehicles and semiconductors. Mining employment grew by 9,000 over the month and was up by 140,000 since the most recent low in October 2009.