A Wall Street Journal survey of economists in April 2016 concluded that the economy needs to add 145,000 jobs per month just to keep up with population growth. So even if you recognize a floor of 145,000 - below which you're actually adding to unemployment - the economy's July performance of 209,000 jobs added is decent. I've heard estimates that the actual number needed is as high as 200,000, or as low as 80,000.
