Unemployment Rate Rises to 4.6 Percent in July

Nonfarm payroll employment gained 92,000 jobs in July, but that's a slowdown compared with recent months and the unemployment rate rose 0.1 percent to 4.6 percent, according to figures released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Employment grew in several service-providing industries, but in June, the economy added 126,000 jobs and in May it added 188,009 jobs.

With 7.1 million unemployed last month, the jobless rate continued to range from 4.4 to 4.6 percent as it has since September 2006.

In July, total employment stood at 146.1 million and the civilian labor force counted 153.2 million - both little changed from the previous month.

Over the month, employment rose in several service-providing industries and changed little in the goods-producing industries.

Health care employment grew by 36,000 in July, with gains of 9,000 jobs each in offices of physicians and in hospitals and 8,000 in home health care. Over the year, health care employment has expanded by 377,000. Employment in social assistance continued to trend up in July; the industry has added 99,000 jobs over the past 12 months.

In financial activities, employment rose by 27,000 in July. Over the month, employment continued to grow in insurance carriers and related activities and in securities, commodity contracts, and investments.

Employment in food services and drinking places was up 22,000 in July. Over the month, wholesale trade employment continued to increase, while retail trade employment was unchanged.

Temporary help services employment continued to trend down, losing 7,000 jobs last month and 52,000 jobs so far in 2007.

Manufacturing has lost 175,000 jobs over the past 12 months. Since its most recent peak in September, employment in construction has fallen by 75,000.

In July, the average workweek for production and nonsupervisory workers on private non-farm payrolls decreased by 0.1 hour to 33.8 hours, seasonally adjusted.

Average hourly earnings of production and nonsupervisory workers on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 6 cents, or 0.3 percent, in July to $17.45, seasonally adjusted. This increase followed gains of 7 cents in both May and June. Average weekly earnings were little changed over the month at $589.81.

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