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U.S. nonfarm payroll employment increased by 162,000 in August 2026, while the unemployment rate held at 4.1%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The gain exceeded the average monthly increase of 31,000 over the previous 12 months.
Food services and drinking places added 59,000 jobs and local-government education added 42,000; the information industry lost jobs. The payroll count comes from the establishment survey, distinct from the household survey used for unemployment.