A six-month streak was broken last month, after U.S. employers failed to hire more than 200,000 new workers. According to the Labor Department, 142,000 jobs were added in August, the lowest figure in the past eight months. The unemployment rate went from 6.1 to 6.2 percent, apparently because fewer people were working or seeking employment. Over the last year, which has shown healthy economic growth for the country, job gains have been an average of 212,000 monthly.
