U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, far exceeding the 65,000 that forecasters had expected.

The unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%.

The Labor Department also revised June and July figures upward by 55,000 jobs.

President Donald Trump welcomed the report on social media, saying the numbers broke all estimates.

Inflation remains a central concern for voters, especially high fuel prices.

Average hourly wages rose only 3.1% from a year earlier, the weakest gain since May 2021.

Restaurants, construction, and manufacturing led the hiring gains.

The labor force grew by 683,000 people last month.

Some economists doubted the strength of the rebound.

Thomas Simons of Jefferies called it a "payback" after three weak months rather than a sign of faster growth.

The report may push the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates at its September meeting.

Fed Chair Kevin Warsh said inflation remains too far above the central bank's 2% target.

Employers face a worker shortage due to immigration crackdowns and baby boomer retirements.

Many firms are turning to technology and AI to boost efficiency.

The information industry lost 23,000 jobs last month, a decline linked to AI replacing workers.

However, some business leaders, like David Iancu of a Milwaukee law firm, said AI cannot replace human relationships, especially in difficult fields like divorce law.