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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

August 2015 US Unemployment Rate

  • Employers added 173,000 jobs in Aug., jobless rates falls to 5.1%,  By Paul Davidson, September 4, 2015, USA Today: “Payroll growth slowed in August as employers added 173,000 jobs in a key report that could help the Federal Reserve decide whether to raise interest rates later this month. The unemployment rate, which is calculated from a separate survey of households, fell from 5.3% to 5.1%, lowest since March 2008. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected employment gains of 218,000, according to their median forecast…”
  • Unemployment rate dips to 5.1 percent amid 173,000 new jobs in August, By Scott Neuman, September 4, 2015, National Public Radio: “The Labor Department says the U.S. economy added 173,000 jobs in August, a figure that fell short of expectations but nonetheless appeared to shrug off turmoil in overseas markets, particularly China. In a separate survey, the department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said the unemployment rate had dipped to 5.1 percent — a seven-year low.  Many economists had forecast 220,000 new jobs in August, an increase over the 215,000 jobs added the month before. July’s tally was revised upward to 245,000 jobs, while June’s figure was revised to 245,000 from 231,000…”