U.S. unemployment rises to 5.7 percent

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. unemployment rate rose from 5.5 percent to 5.7 percent in July on the loss of 51,000 non-farm jobs, U.S. government statistics showed.

Downward trends continued in construction, manufacturing and in several other sectors but healthcare and mining edged up, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.

Wages rose marginally in July, up 0.3 percent, the equivalent of 6 cents an hour, the report said.

In July, 8.8 million people were classified as unemployed, a number that has increased by 1.6 million -- 1 percent -- in the past year, the report said.

Unemployment gained for adult men and whites, now 5.3 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively. But the rates for adult women (4.6 percent), blacks (9.7 percent), and Hispanics (7.4 percent) were "little changed," the report said.

In the month, those working part time involuntarily rose by 308,000 to 5.7 million, a category that has increased 1.4 million in the past year, the bureau reported.