Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 254,000 in September and the unemployment rate fell slightly to 4.1%.
Both the unemployment rate and the number of unemployed people changed little in September. These measures are higher than a year earlier, when the jobless rate was 3.8%, and the number of unemployed people was 6.3 million.
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for July was revised up by 55,000, from +89,000 to +144,000, and the change for August was revised up by 17,000, from +142,000 to +159,000. With these revisions, employment in July and August combined is 72,000 higher than previously reported.
Employment in food services and drinking places rose by 69,000 in September, health care added 45,000 jobs, government rose by 31,000, and construction added 25,000 jobs.
In September, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by $0.13 to $35.36.
The average workweek for all private employees fell 0.1 hours to 34.2 hours in September.
The labor force participation rate changed little at 62.7% for the third consecutive month and is 0.7% below its February 2020 level.
The Right Facts will continue to monitor employment.