US Aug newspaper help-wanted index hits record low

NEW YORK, Sept 27 (Reuters) - The number of help-wanted ads printed in U.S. newspapers declined to a record low in August as job growth slowed in the United States, a private research group said on Thursday.

The Conference Board said its gauge measuring help-wanted ad volume fell to an all-time low of 23 in August, following 25 in July. It was 29 in August 2006. The Conference Board has been tracking the data since 1951.

"The slump in home buying and building, higher gas prices and grocery prices, and credit availability questions have combined to weaken the overall economy, drain consumer confidence and slow labor market," said Ken Goldstein, labor economist at the Conference Board, in a statement.