Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation — 2004-09-03

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. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 144,000 in August, with job gains in several service-providing industries. The unemployment rate, at 5.4 percent, was little changed over the month. Since its recent low point in August 2003, nonfarm payroll employment has grown by about 1.7 million. A little more than half of that growth occurred from March through May of this year. During that period, job gains averaged nearly 300,000 per month; growth slowed in June and July (+96,000 and +73,000, as revised). Hurricane Charley struck Florida during the August survey reference period. BLS made additional data collection efforts for the hurricane-affected counties to ensure that payroll survey response rates were at normal levels.