A US Department of Labor report released Thursday showed a rise in the unemployment rate in September, even as job creation outpaced analysts’ expectations following a record-length government shutdown.
The world’s largest economy added roughly 119,000 jobs in September—an improvement from August—yet unemployment inched up from 4.3% to 4.4%.
This is the first such report in more than two months, with the previous one issued in early September, offering markets a renewed official snapshot of overall labor-market conditions.
BREAKING: The US Labor Department officially publishes the September jobs report 48 days late:
The US added +119,000 jobs in September, above expectations of +53,000.
The unemployment rate rose to 4.4%, above expectations of 4.3%.
Unemployment is at its highest since October…
— The Kobeissi Letter (@KobeissiLetter) November 20, 2025
The report also notes that the figures are not fully up to date, reflecting a period when the labor market was weakening due to federal job losses and successive waves of tariffs, both of which weighed on economic performance.
These findings are likely to factor into Federal Reserve deliberations, as policymakers consider a third consecutive interest-rate cut at the central bank’s December meeting to support a slowing labor market while keeping inflation in check.
Labor Department data further showed that August hiring was weaker than initially estimated, with the economy losing 4,000 jobs instead of posting gains.
Source: Al-Manar Website
