The U.S. economy added 1.763 million jobs in July, bringing the unemployment rate down to 10.2 percent and reflecting the continued resumption of economic activity after COVID-19 shutdowns.
The Department of Labor said in its closely-watched “nonfarm payrolls” report released Friday that the vast majority of the job gains occurred in the services sector, which accounted for 1.72 million, while manufacturing added just 26,000 jobs. Economists polled by data provider FactSet had predicted the economy would add 1.6 million jobs.