August jobs report: Unemployment rate falls to 4.2%, labor market adds 142,000 jobs

The US economy added 142,000 nonfarm payroll jobs in August, falling short of the 165,000 expected by economists. However, this was higher than July’s revised figure of 89,000 jobs. The unemployment rate decreased to 4.2% from 4.3% in July. Wage growth increased to 3.8% year-over-year, up from 3.6% in July, with a monthly increase of 0.4%. While the job additions were lower than anticipated, some economists view the report as consistent with a “soft landing” rather than a recession.