Unemployment Falls but August Job Gains Muted

Washington, DC, Sept. 5, 2014 — Employers in the U.S. added 142,000 jobs in August, the lowest monthly total of the year, according to the Labor Department.

However, the unemployment rate fell to 6.1% from 6.2% in July.

Monthly job growth has averaged over 215,000 this year, up from 194,000 in 2013.

In August, businesses added 134,000 jobs while federal, state and local governments added 8,000.