The Employment Situation: July 2000 — 2000-08-04

Total nonfarm payroll employment decreased by 108,000 in July, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Private-sector payroll employment rose by 138,000, but this was more than offset by a decline in federal government employment, as 290,000 temporary workers hired for the decennial census completed their work. The unemployment rate, at 4.0 percent, was unchanged in July. Average hourly earnings rose by 6 cents over the month and by 3.7 percent over the year. The unemployment rate held at 4.0 percent in July, and the number of unemployed persons was essentially unchanged. The jobless rate has been in the 3.9- to 4.1-percent range since October 1999. The unemployment rate for teenagers rose in July to 13.4 percent, seasonally adjusted. Unemployment rates for the other major worker groups--adult men (3.2 percent), adult women (3.7 percent), whites (3.5 percent), blacks (7.7 percent), and Hispanics (5.6 percent)--showed little or no change over the month.