Other gauges of labor demand are anything but benign. At 46.5, Services Employment in August’s Institute for Supply Management (ISM) Services survey barely budged vis-à-vis July’s 46.4 (red line). This stretched the string of contractionary readings to five in the last six months. Moreover, a mere 2 of 18 service industries reported expanding headcount – Real Estate, Rental & Leasing and Utilities. Widening the lens, an equally minuscule 2 of 18 manufacturing industries grew their employee base last month -- Nonmetallic Mineral Products (think cement) and Plastics & Rubber Products. All told, a whopping 4 out of 36 industries creating jobs.