U.S. ADDED 254K JOBS IN SEPTEMBER

Key Points:

  • 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.