Delayed September report shows U.S. added 119,000 jobs, more than expected; unemployment rate at 4.4%

The U.S. economy added substantially more jobs than expected in September, according to a long-awaited report Thursday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nonfarm payrolls increased by 119,000 in the month, up from the 4,000 jobs lost in August following a downward revision. The Dow Jones consensus estimate for September was 50,000. The July total also was revised down to 72,000, a decrease of 7,000 from the prior release.

In addition to the headline jobs number, the BLS said the unemployment rate edged higher to 4.4%, the highest it’s been since October 2021. A broader measure that includes those not looking for jobs or working part-time for economic reasons edged lower to 8%.

Average hourly earnings increased 0.2% for the month and 3.8% from a year ago, compared to respective forecasts for 0.3% and 3.7%.

The report ends a data drought on the labor market that began in early September and continued through the record 44-day government shutdown. Agencies including the BLS, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and others were prohibited from collecting or releasing data during the period.

This was the first BLS jobs report since the count for August that was released Sept. 5. It also was the second since Trump fired then-BLS Commissioner Erika McEntarfer on Aug. 1, following a July jobs report that contained massive revisions for prior months.

“September’s jobs report shows the labor market still had resilience before the shutdown, beating payroll expectations, but the picture remains muddy with August jobs revised to a job loss and the unemployment rate increasing,” said Daniel Zhao, chief economist at jobs site Glassdoor. “These numbers are a snapshot from two months ago and they don’t reflect where we stand now in November.”