Shawdesh Desk:

The US economy added fewer jobs than expected in August as employment rose by 235,000.

The figure was well down on the 1.05 million jobs created in July, adding to fears that the recovery from the pandemic may be running out of steam.

Despite the disappointing hiring levels, the unemployment rate fell to 5.2% in August from 5.4% in July.

Economists say rising infections caused by the Delta variant have hit spending on travel, tourism and hospitality, reports BBC.

US President Joe Biden said he was disappointed but defended his record on the economy, saying it was growing consistently.

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were notable job gains in August in professional and business services, transportation and warehousing, private education and manufacturing.