Employers added 119,000 jobs in September, blowing past expectations
Employers across the U.S. added 119,000 jobs in September, marking a pickup after previous employment data had shown a slowdown in hiring. The report marks the first official job tally since the government shutdown ended last week, ending a six-week blackout on labor data.
The numbers
Economists had forecast payroll gains of 50,000 jobs in September, according to a poll by FactSet.
The unemployment rate edged up to 4.4% in September from 4.3% in August.
The Labor Department also revised job growth down for July and August by a combined 33,000, a sign that hiring during those months was weaker than previously reported.
The health care sector saw the biggest boost in jobs, with 43,000 hires in September. The federal workforce, meanwhile, lost 3,000 jobs that month.
The financial firm Capital Economics estimates 150,000 federal workers will fall from the government’s payroll in the fourth quarter this year, mainly due to the Trump administration’s deferred resignation programs.
The job market has been losing momentum for much of this year, with previous employment reports indicating a slowdown in hiring. At the same time, employers have been announcing layoffs in recent months, leading to the worst October for job reductions in 22 years, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
Delayed employment reports
The September jobs report, originally slated for Oct. 3, was pushed back by the government shutdown that ended on Nov. 12. The delay means it offers a belated snapshot of the labor market just before federal funding lapsed on Oct. 1.
On Tuesday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said it won’t publish the full October employment report, which was originally slated for release on Nov. 7. Instead, the agency will fold select October data into the November report, which is set for release on Dec. 16.
