In this Aug. 14, 2013, file photo, people check out opportunities during a job fair in Miami Lakes, Fla. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 169,000 jobs in August and many fewer in July than previously thought. Hiring has slowed from the start of the year and could complicate the Federal Reserve’s decision this month on whether to reduce its bond purchases — and, if so, by how much.

The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate dropped to 7.3 percent, the lowest in nearly five years. But it fell because more Americans stopped looking for work and were no longer counted as unemployed. The proportion of Americans working or looking for work reached its lowest point in 35 years.

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