The midterm election is about “safety and jobs,” President Trump told a campaign rally in Montana Thursday night. He said the economy is “booming like never before,” and on Friday, the unemployment report brought the president more good news: the unemployment rate for African Americans, 6.3 percent, has never been lower, and job-growth remains strong.

For Hispanics, the unemployment rate increased two-tenths of a point from last month’s record low of 4.5 percent. And the overall unemployment rate remained at a low 3.9 percent.

The number of jobs added — 201,000 — exceeded analysts’ expectations. (After revisions, job gains have averaged 185,000 for each of the last three months.)

After three straight record-setting months, the number of employed Americans dropped a bit in August, to 155,542,000 from last month’s all-time high of 155,965,000. This number has set 11 records since Donald Trump took office. – READ MORE

Long-awaited wage growth posted its biggest increase of the economic recovery in August while payroll gains beat expectations and the unemployment rate held near a generational low of 3.9 percent, according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report Friday.

Average hourly earnings rose 2.9 percent for the month on an annualized basis, while nonfarm payrolls grew by 201,000. Economists surveyed by Reuters had been expecting earnings to rise 2.7 percent, payrolls to increase by 191,000 and the jobless level to decline one-tenth of a point to 3.8 percent.

The wage growth was the highest since April 2009.

The biggest contributor to job gains was professional and business services, which added 53,000. Heath care grew by 33,000, wholesale trade rose by 22,000, and transportation and warehousing contributed 20,000 to the total. – READ MORE