July’s reductions marked the seventh straight month where employers eliminated jobs. The economy has lost a total of 463,00 jobs so far this year.

Construction was among the hardest hit industries, as 22,000 positions were lost in June. The Labor Department breaks down construction jobs into several subcategories, including construction of buildings, heavy and civil construction, and specialty trade contractors. Each subcategory is broken down into residential and nonresidential contractors. More than 19,000 jobs were lost in these specialty trade contractor categories, with about 9,000 on the residential side and 10,800 on the nonresidential side. More than 4,000 jobs were gained on the nonresidential building construction side.

The increase in the unemployment rate to 5.7 percent, from 5.5 percent in June, in part came as many young people streamed into the labor market looking for summer jobs. This year, fewer of them were able to find work, the government said. The unemployment rate for teenagers jumped to 20.3 percent, the highest since late 1992.

The good news for those who still have jobs was that average hourly earnings rose to $18.06 in July, a 0.3 percent increase from the previous month. Over the past year, wages have grown 3.4 percent. The average hourly earnings for construction jobs in July was $21.89, which is up by 23 cents from June.