August jobs data released: half empty or half full?
Much-anticipated August employment data were released this morning.
Watch for both campaigns to trumpet the news, spinning it like an old 78 before they even finish reading the fine print.
Bush: unemployment down, another month of solid job creation — 12 months in a row. Kerry: poor quality jobs, below expectations, still massive net job loss under Bush.
CBS Marketwatch reports:“U.S. nonfarm payrolls expand by 144,000 in August”
U.S job growth snapped back in August after two disappointing months, as nonfarm payrolls climbed by 144,000, the Labor Department estimated Friday.
The unemployment rate fell by one-tenth of a percentage point to 5.4 percent, the lowest rate since October 2001.
Payroll additions in June and July were revised higher by a cumulative 59,000. July’s gain was revised from 32,000 to 73,000. Read more
Here’s the DOL release, with all the data one could possibly want: “THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: AUGUST 2004″ (.pdf or .html).
