Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.1%

The unemployment rate rose from 5.7 to 6.1 percent in August, and non- farm payroll employment continued to trend down (-84,000), according to the Labor Department.

In August, employment fell in manufacturing and employment services, while mining and
health care continued to add jobs. Average hourly earnings rose by 7 cents,
or 0.4 percent, over the month.

Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by 2.2 million and the unemployment rate has risen by 1.4 percentage points, with most of the increase occurring over the past 4 months. Which happens to coincide with the period of Fed slowing of the money supply.

The job losses in August came in every sector, with manufacturing and business services the hardest hit.

In August, the unemployment rates for adult men (5.6 percent), adult women
(5.3 percent), whites (5.4 percent), blacks (10.6 percent), and Hispanics
(8.0 percent) rose, while the jobless rate for teenagers was little changed
at 18.9 percent. The unemployment rate for Asians was 4.4 percent in August,
not seasonally adjusted.

Conclusion: If the Fed continues its tight money policy, the unemployment number is lkely to continue to climb, perhaps to double digit levels.