Even as the unemployment rate ticked downward, new data from the U.S. Department of Labor suggests that the job situation for Americans with disabilities remains rocky.

The jobless rate for those with disabilities fell to 14.1 percent in August, the Labor Department said Friday. That’s down from 14.7 percent the prior month.

The drop in unemployment, however, may be at least partly due to fewer people with disabilities looking for work, the data indicates.

At the same time, unemployment for the general population dipped to 7.3 percent as the economy added 169,000 jobs, the Labor Department said.

Federal officials began tracking employment among people with disabilities in October 2008. There is not yet enough data compiled to establish seasonal trends among this population, so statistics for this group are not seasonally adjusted.

Data on people with disabilities covers those over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February 2009. Now, reports are released monthly.

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