Job Creation Index Steady

Workers' reports of hiring activity at their places of employment in August held steady at a post-recession high for the fourth month in a row at plus 33, the same as in May, June and July.

Since the index bottomed out at minus 5 in early 2009 in the midst of the nation's economic crash, it has taken a slow, bumpy path upward, with numerous minor downticks from month to month. However, every August reading since 2010 has shown improvement over the previous August. The near-negligible one-point improvement this August from last August's plus 32 is the smallest since the index began its climb.

The Job Creation Index for both government and non-government workers showed no material change in August. The index for government workers (local, state and federal) rose a single point to plus 32 -- the highest level since Gallup began identifying government workers in August 2008. Meanwhile, the index for non-government workers in August stood at plus 34. Forty-four percent report their employers are hiring new workers, 10 percent say they are cutting back.