Hiring by America's employers picked up a bit in August from July's sluggish pace

The US unemployment rate dipped for the first time since March in a sign the job market might be cooling but remains sturdy.

Employers added 142,000 jobs in August, up from just 89,000 in July, according to new US Labor Department numbers.

The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.2 per cent from 4.3 per cent in July, which had been the highest level in nearly three years.