Posted September 3, 2010
Manufacturing employment falls
Factory workers started the Labor Day weekend with the grim news that the manufacturing industry lost 27,000 jobs in August.
The drop in factory employment is the first for the manufacturing sector this year, which had been leading the weak jobs recovery. Most of the job losses were in the motor vehicle and parts industry, offsetting a similar gain in July, as the industry departed somewhat from its usual layoff and recall pattern for annual retooling.
Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 54,000 in August, and the nation's employment rate climbed to 9.6%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Construction employment was up by 19,000 workers in August. This change partially reflected the return to payrolls of 10,000 workers who were on strike in July.
