U.S. employers are expected to add 65,000 jobs in August

Economists expect local school positions to recover after July

The U.S. Labor Department is expected to report Friday that U.S. employers — companies, government agencies and nonprofits — added a net 65,000 jobs in August. The estimate comes from a survey of forecasters by FactSet, while the Labor Department’s August report is scheduled for Friday.

The projected increase follows an unexpected loss of 23,000 jobs in July. The 65,000 figure is a survey estimate, not a confirmed August payroll result.

Local school positions are a particular focus of the August forecast. Those positions fell by 50,000 in July, and economists expect them to recover in the August data.

Economists suspect the July decline was a statistical glitch in the Labor Department’s seasonal adjustments. Their forecast calls for the local school positions to return in the latest report.

The Associated Press also reports that jobseekers continue to struggle and pay gains remain slight despite the expected employment increase.

The Associated Press linked the worker shortage to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and the retirement of baby boomers.

Businesses have also stepped up their use of technology to handle tasks that human beings used to do, the Associated Press reported.

The projected increase in total employment and the expected recovery in local school positions remain forecasts from the FactSet survey ahead of the Labor Department’s report.

Main Street Independent previously reported the July employment decline in US employment fell by 23,000 in July and the spring totals were revised down. The publication also described markets awaiting the August employment data in a look at the week’s labor-market releases.