Unemployment rates unchanged

U.S. employment, excluding farm work, climbed by 92,000 in July, and the unemployment rate remained essentially unchanged at 4.6 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Employment grew in several service-providing industries, the department said. Average hourly earnings rose by 6 cents, or 0.3 percent. The department reported the number of unemployed as 7.1 million, also essentially unchanged in July. The jobless rate has ranged from 4.4 to 4.6 percent since September 2006.