Private employers added 46,000 jobs in September, while government payrolls fell by 17,000. The U.S. economy gained 29,000 jobs overall, according to federal figures released Friday.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the figures in its September employment report. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2% from 4.1% in August, though the agency described the change as small.
September’s net job gain followed an increase of 133,000 in August, according to revised figures. Employers added an average of 45,000 jobs a month over the preceding 12 months.
Health care added 17,000 positions in September, construction gained 11,000 and manufacturing added 9,000. BLS characterized employment changes across major industries as small.
Revisions turn July gain into a loss
BLS now estimates that employers shed 10,000 jobs in July, reversing its earlier estimate of a 21,000-job gain. The agency also reduced August’s increase from 162,000 to 133,000.
Those changes lowered the combined total for the two months by 60,000. They reflect updated estimates for July and August, not additional job losses in September.
BLS revises its figures as it receives more employer reports and recalculates seasonal adjustments.
Wages rise as Texas factories expand
Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers rose 5 cents to $37.81 in September, a 0.1% increase. Earnings grew 3% over the past year. The average workweek held at 34.4 hours.
About 7.1 million people were unemployed. Roughly 1.9 million had been unemployed for at least 27 weeks, accounting for 27.1% of the unemployed. Another 4.5 million worked part time because employers reduced their hours or they could not find full-time jobs.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Texas manufacturers reported stronger production and employment growth in September in a separate Dallas Fed survey.
The survey’s employment index rose from 8.0 to 15.1. That index measures the balance of manufacturers reporting increases versus decreases in staffing; it does not represent a percentage increase in jobs.
