US Unemployment Rate Hits 4.2 Precent, Adds 29,000 Jobs in September

By Molayo Anjorin

The United States’ labor market has lost some of its momentum with just 29,000 jobs added in September as the nation’s unemployment rate climbed to 4.2%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

FactualTimes reports that the number of jobs added in the month of September was significantly below the peak seen in the beginning of 2026.

This comes after two months of downwardly-revised employment numbers, which indicate that the job market may not be as strong as initially thought.

BLS revised the figures for July downwards by 31,000 jobs, changing the number from a gain of 21,000 to a loss of 10,000. The number for August was also revised downwards by 29,000, moving it from 162,000 to 133,000. This brings the two-month total for the number of jobs added to 54,000 below the original estimates.

The decrease in new jobs added comes as the country’s labor market participation rate remains steady at 61.8% and the number of unemployed Americans increased slightly to approximately 7.1 million.

Even though the overall trend for new jobs added remains positive, several sectors of the economy added fewer employees during the month of September. Healthcare added the most jobs with 17,000, although the number was below the average monthly increase over the past year.

Employment in the construction sector added 11,000 jobs, while manufacturing added 9,000. On the other hand, financial activities saw a decrease in the number of jobs by 7,000.

Payrolls remain strong despite the decrease in new jobs as weekly wages for private-sector employees increased by 0.13 dollars per hour to 37.81 dollars for the week ending September 14. This represents a 3% increase over the same period last year.

The new numbers put the United States’ labor market in a difficult position as unemployment rates remain low but the number of new jobs added has decreased month-over-month and previous numbers have been revised downwards.