Sept. 7, 2021—The US economy added just 235,000 jobs in August, a surprisingly weak gain compared to the previous two months.
According to a report from the Associated Press, the rate of new jobs fell more than 75 percent compared to June and July, which each added roughly 1 million. The report cites the rapidly spreading delta variant as a main factor that is discouraging people from going out, which is slowing hiring in some places.
Despite the dip, the unemployment rate dropped by 0.2 percent, and the number of job openings is still at a historic rate.
"With many consumers still willing to spend and companies to hire, the overall U.S. economy still looks healthy," the report said.
