US unemployment rate falls to 8.4% even as hiring slows
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. unemployment rate fell sharply in August to 8.4%  from 10.2% even as hiring slowed in August as employers added the fewest jobs since the pandemic began. Employers added 1.4 million jobs, the Labor Department said Friday, down from 1.7 million in July. The U.S. economy has recovered about half the 22 million jobs lost to the pandemic.