U.S. added 157,000 jobs in July as unemployment rate slips to 3.9 percent

The Labor Department on Friday released its hiring and unemployment figures for July, providing a fresh snapshot of the U.S. economy.

— 157,000 jobs were added last month. Economists had expected a gain of about 190,000.

— The unemployment ratefell to 3.9 percent, from 4 percent.

— Average hourly earnings rose by 7 cents to $27.05. The year-over-year gain is now 2.7 percent.

The latest job figures follow a steady stream of hiring gains and a robust reading on economic growth. Last week, the Commerce Department reported that gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate of 4.1 percent in the second quarter, the fastest pace in nearly four years.

Like weather forecasters predicting sunny skies in Southern California, economists have watched the labor market produce consistent monthly increases in hiring recently.

“I’ve never seen such a steady stream of gains — there’s no volatility in the numbers,” said Ellen Zentner, chief U.S. economist at Morgan Stanley.

And Martha Gimbel, director of economic research at Indeed.com, noted before Friday’s report that in the first half of 2018, the average monthly increase in jobs had even exceeded those in the comparable periods of 2015 and 2016.

“It is amazing that at this point in a recovery you are seeing growth that is on average faster than the previous two years,” she said.

The manufacturing sector has been strong recently and gained another 37,000 jobs in July.

“We’re not seeing any impact from trade tensions, as it’s too early,” said Scott Anderson, chief economist at Bank of the West in San Francisco.

Makers of machinery, fabricated metals and electrical equipment have been among the most aggressive in hiring.

Steel Ceilings in Johnstown, Ohio, hired two hourly workers last month and will hire another two this month if it can find appropriate candidates, said Rick Sandor, the company’s president. That’s not easy these days — shifts run from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m., and temporary workers start at $14 per hour. So as the labor market has tightened, Sandor has eased up on the requirements for new hires.

In the past, he insisted on a couple of years’ experience in metal fabrication but now settles for candidates who show mechanical skills, like carpentry or heating and cooling repair. Sandor is willing to waive the requirement for a high school diploma as well and has even hired applicants with what he terms “minor” prison sentences.

“If a person was truly trying to get their life back together, we thought it would be helpful to offer them a job,” Sandor said.

Despite the steady hiring gains and the low unemployment rate, wages have been growing just barely faster than inflation.

“People keep wondering when that magical kink will occur and wages will turn on a dime,” Zentner said.

Not yet, she predicted. Although the low unemployment rate has produced pockets of labor shortages, she said, “it’s not economywide.”

One reason is that plenty of workers still seem to be coming off the bench. For July, the participation rate was 62.9 percent, unchanged from June.

The Federal Reserve upgraded its view of the economy this week, substituting “strong” for “solid” in the statement that policymakers released after their latest meeting. The consensus on Wall Street calls for the central bank to raise rates twice more this year, in September and December.

Friday’s report confirms that trajectory, which would bring the benchmark rate to 2.25 to 2.5 percent by the end of the year. Although even that level is low by historical standards, the Fed’s slow but steady campaign to normalize interest rates after years near the zero bound is beginning to be felt.

Homebuyers are encountering higher mortgage rates, one reason that the housing market has been faltering lately even as other economic indicators have remained strong, along with the stock market.