US economy adds 173,000 jobs as unemployment rate drops to 5.1%

Jobs report falls short of expectations as numbers are likely to complicate matters for the Fed, which is expected to raise interest rates

The US economy added 173,000 jobs in August, less than expected, while the unemployment rate dropped to 5.1%, surpassing expectations.

The numbers released by the Department of Labor on Friday are likely to complicate matters for the Federal Reserve, which meets later this month and will discuss raising interest rates for the first time since the recession. This is the last jobs report before the Fed meeting.

Businesses have added 13.1 million jobs over 66 straight months of job growth, extending longest streak on record pic.twitter.com/WNofHiebtn