Hiring rose for the fourth straight month, though at the slowest pace since the U.S. economy began to spring back from April shutdowns.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 1.4 million in August, the Labor Department said Friday, matching economists’ expectations and following gains of 2.7 million, 4.8 million, and 1.8 million in May, June and July, respectively. The temporary hiring of 238,000 Census 2020 workers helped boost payrolls.

The U-3 unemployment rate, meanwhile, dropped to 8.4% from 10.2% in July. The decline was much ...