The Employment Situation: July 1997 — 1997-08-01

Employment rose, and the unemployment rate edged down to 4.8 percent in July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The jobless rate had risen from 4.8 percent in May to 5.0 percent in June. The number of payroll jobs increased by 316,000 in July, with widespread gains in the service-producing sector of the economy. Average weekly hours declined, and average hourly earnings were unchanged over the month. The number of unemployed persons, 6.6 million, and the unemployment rate, 4.8 percent, edged down in July. Among the major worker groups, the rate for black workers declined to 9.4 percent. Rates for adult women (4.2 percent), adult men (4.0 percent), teenagers (16.4 percent), whites (4.2 percent), and Hispanics (7.9 percent) showed little or no change from June.