The US economy added just 1.8 million jobs in July, far fewer than in May and June but not as bad as some economists feared, according to government data released Friday.
The unemployment rate fell to 10.2 percent from 11.1 percent in June, still slightly worse than the depth of the global financial crisis in October 2009. However, the Labor Department said some workers continue to be misclassified, and the jobless rate would have been a full point higher than reported.
The largest employment gains were in leisure and hospitality and retail, the sectors hardest hit by the coronavirus shutdowns, the report said.