Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2018-09-07

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 201,000 in August, and the unemployment rate held at 3.9 percent. Employment increased in professional and business services, health care, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, and mining. Incorporating revisions for June and July, which decreased nonfarm payroll employment by 50,000, monthly job gains have averaged 185,000 over the past 3 months. Employment in professional and business services increased by 53,000 in August. Over the year, the industry has added 519,000 jobs. In August, health care added 33,000 jobs. Job gains occurred in ambulatory health care services (+21,000) and hospitals (+8,000). Health care employment has grown by 301,000 over the year. Employment in wholesale trade rose by 22,000 over the month and by 99,000 over the year.