Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation — 2006-09-01

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 rose by 128,000 in August, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 4.7 percent. The employment increase was about in line with the average monthly gain of 117,000 for the 4-month period from April to July. During the 12-month period ending in March, job growth averaged 169,000 per month. Average hourly earnings rose by 2 cents, or 0.1 percent, in August. In the service-providing sector, education and health services employment grew by 60,000; health care contributed 35,000 of the net increase, and social assistance added 13,000 jobs. Over the year, health care employment expanded by 286,000. Within health care, hospitals added 14,000 jobs over the month. Employment also increased in doctors' offices, home health care services, and outpatient care centers.