The national unemployment rate remained flat in August, but private sector payrolls went up.

Katharine Abraham from the White House Office reports that private sector payrolls increased by 17,000. A statement says, “ [c]learly, faster growth is needed to replace the jobs lost in the downturn. Today’s report underscores the President’s call for Congress to pass a clean extension of the transportation bill to keep workers on the job and keep critical highway construction, bridge repair, mass transit and other important projects moving forward. Next week, the President will lay out a series of additional bipartisan steps that Congress can take immediately to put more money in the paychecks of working and middle class families; to make it easier for small businesses to hire workers; to put construction crews to work rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure; and other measures that will help the economy grow while still reducing our deficit and getting our fiscal house in order.”

Monthly unemployment numbers are only preliminary figures.  As analysts continue to receive further information, the numbers will become more precise.