News In Brief

US unemployment remains steady at 7.5 percent

The politically important national unemployment rate remained steady at 7.5 percent of the civilian labor force in August, bringing mixed reactions from the White House, unions, and economists generally.

The Reagan administration hailed the figures as ''encouraging news.'' The AFL-CIO countered by saying that there were 8 million jobless in 1981 while 8.5 million are idle now.

The August total of 105 million employed was about 425,000 fewer than in July and 700,000 under the all-time record set in June.