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Anemic wage gain could, however, make the U.S. central bank
cautious about raising interest rates gain this year. The Labor
Department said on Friday that nonfarm payrolls increased by
156,000 last month after rising 189,000 in July.
Average hourly earnings rose three cents or 0.1 percent after
advancing 0.3 percent in July, keeping the year-on-year gain in
wages at 2.5 percent for a fifth consecutive month.
August's moderation in employment growth, which pushed payroll
gains below the 176,000 monthly average for this year likely
reflects a seasonal quirk as well as a dearth of qualified
workers. Over the past several years, the initial August job
count has tended to exhibit a weak bias, with revisions
subsequently showing strength.
The department said Hurricane Harvey, which devastated parts of
Texas, has no "discernable" effect on payrolls as the disaster
struck after the survey period for the August employment report.
Economists said the storm could hurt September payrolls if the
disruption from the flooding lingers.
The unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a percentage point
to 4.4 percent. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast
payrolls increasing by 180,000 jobs last month. August's gains
were far more than the 75,000 to 100,000 jobs per month needed
to keep up with growth in the working-age population.
Underscoring labor market strength, manufacturing payrolls
surged by 36,000 jobs. Construction employment jumped by 28,000
jobs last month.
(Reporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Andrea Ricci)
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