September’s jobs report is expected to show a labor market that’s holding steady - Yahoo Finance
The U.S. labor market added only 29,000 jobs in September, falling significantly short of economist expectations. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2%, signaling a potential cooling in hiring trends across several sectors.
Why it matters
Employment data is a primary driver of national economic policy and influences the Federal Reserve's decisions on interest rates.
September's jobs report misses: US added just 29,000 jobs, unemployment ticked up Claire Boston · Senior Reporter Fri, October 2, 2026 at 9:41 AM EDT The US added just 29,000 jobs in September, missing expectations, as the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%, according to Labor Department data released Friday.
September's miss points to a labor market that's continuing to lose steam amid a long period of "low hire, low fire" dynamics. Average hourly earnings rose an anemic 0.1% from August and are up 3% year over year, a level that's likely below the current rate of inflation .
In addition, job gains in July and August were revised lower by a total of 60,000.
Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the latest data to show a gain of 90,000 jobs in September and expected the unemployment rate to remain at 4.1% for a third straight month.
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