U.S. non-farm payroll employment increased by just 173,000 during August, a steep decline from the upwardly revised 245,000 jobs added a month earlier.

Job growth also stalled compared to the same month last year, when 213,000 jobs were added. The August 2014 figure saw a huge revision from the 142,000 originally reported.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which released the data Friday, reported that the unemployment rate was
5.1 percent last month — the lowest rate since April 2008, when it stood at 5.0 percent.

Unemployment was 5.3 percent in July 2015 and 6.1 percent in August 2014.

In just the home lending industry, which the BLS reports on a one-month lag,
there were 297,100 non-bank mortgage jobs in July — the most since September 2013, when the total was an upwardly revised 297,400.

Non-bank mortgage jobs numbered
293,900 in June 2015, revised up from 293,500 originally reported.

In July 2014, there were
280,900 people working at non-bank mortgage companies. The year-earlier figure was originally reported at 286,300.

The July 2015 total included
219,800 employees classified as “real estate credit,” more than 217,400 a month prior and 209,800 a year prior.

Additionally included in the latest residential lending total were
77,300 “mortgage and non-mortgage loan brokers.” In June, broker count was 76,500, while it came in at 71,100 in July 2014.

Including mortgage jobs at banks and credit unions, Mortgage Daily estimates that there were around 568,800 people in the mortgage business as of July 2015. The estimate factors in the BLS number and origination market share.

Total mortgage industry employment grew from an estimated
562,700 the previous month and 563,400 in the year-previous period.