<h1>US employers added 22,000 jobs in August as unemployment rose to 4.3% and hiring slowed</h1> US employers added 22,000 jobs in August as the labor market cooled and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%, the highest since 2021. Hiring has slowed amid prior interest-rate hikes and policy uncertainty tied to the president's agenda, contributing to reduced employer confidence and elevated layoff announcements. Revisions to earlier payroll data sharply lowered prior months' job counts, prompting the president to dismiss the Bureau of Labor Statistics head and nominate a partisan replacement; an acting career official currently oversees reports. Economists say standard BLS procedures and survey challenges, including falling response rates, affect data collection but remain broadly reliable.