U.S. job growth in August was much weaker than expected and the previous month's job gains were also revised downward, suggesting the labor market is even weaker than it appears.
The Labor Department said Friday that the economy added 142,000 jobs.
Economists had expected payrolls to rise to 160,000 that month.
The employment forecast for the previous month was revised down from 114,000 to 89,000, and the June figure was revised down by 60,000 to just 118,000.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.2% from 4.3% in July. The labor force participation rate remained at 62.7%, the same level as in the past year.
Average hourly earnings for all private nonfarm employees increased 14 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $35.21. Over the past year, average hourly earnings increased 3.8 percent, better than expected.
Private sector payrolls increased by 118,000, below expectations of an increase of 136,000. The July private sector estimate was revised down to 74,000 from 97,000.
Manufacturing lost 24,000 jobs, six times more than expected, but the July figure was revised up to a 6,000 gain from an earlier forecast of a 1,000 gain.
