美國八月份就業增長停滯

Job growth stalled in the U.S. economy in August, leaving the unemployment rate at a relatively high 9.1 percent.

Friday's report from the Labor Department shows no net gain of jobs in August, compared to an estimated net gain of 85,000 in July. Most economists had predicted the figures would show at least some gains in the job market. The August report is the weakest in nearly a year.

Employment rose in health care, fell in government, and was hurt by a strike at a major phone company.

Employers are reluctant to hire because of worries that painfully slow U.S. economic growth will hurt their sales and profits. Economic growth has been hurt by weakness in the consumer spending that drives most U.S. economic activity. Consumers worried about their jobs and facing high prices for energy and food lack the confidence in the future needed to make major purchases.

U.S. President Barack Obama will introduce a plan to stimulate the national economy and create jobs in a speech before a joint session of Congress next Thursday.美國8月份就業增長停滯，美國的失業率依然保持在9.1%的高位。

美國勞工部星期五發布的報告顯示，8月份就業沒有出現淨增長。相比之下，7月份的就業崗位估計淨增長8萬5千個。大部分經濟學家曾經預測，八月份就業市場至少會出現一些增長。

八月份的就業報告是將近一年來表現最差的一個。

醫療健康方面的就業有所增長，但是政府部門的工作有所減少。另外，一家大電話公司的罷工也影響到就業情況。

由於擔心正在放緩的經濟增長會影響銷售和盈利，僱主們不太願意增加僱員。驅動美國大部分經濟活動的消費者支出的疲軟損害了美國經濟的增長。消費者既擔心自己的就業，又面臨高企的能源和食品價格，因此對未來缺乏信心，而這種信心是購買大件產品所必需的。

美國總統奧巴馬下星期四將在參衆兩院一個聯席會議上發表講話，推出刺激全國經濟和創造就業機會的計劃。