WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 29,000 jobs were added in September, lower than economists’ expectations of 84,000 jobs. The overall unemployment rate increased slightly from 4.1% in August to 4.2% in September.
The unemployment rate for women rose, from 3.5% in August to 3.6% in September. Women’s labor force participation also rose, corresponding with the overall labor force participation rising to 61.8% in September from 61.6% in August. The men’s labor force participation stayed the same from August, remaining at 67.2% in September.
September saw moderate growth in sectors including health care, construction, and manufacturing. Health care was the topline industry, adding 17,000 jobs in September. Meanwhile, employment declined in financial activities.
The University of Michigan’s gauge of consumer sentiment declined to 48.1 in September, down from 51.7 in the prior month, as consumers worry about high prices.
Patrice Onwuka, vice president for economic policy at Independent Women and director of Independent Women’s Center for Economic Opportunity, issued the following statement:
“The economy adding just 29,000 jobs is disappointing, as are the 60,000 fewer jobs in July and August after revisions. However, we cannot ignore that 485,000 Americans came back into the labor force last month. This suggests workers feel more confident they can find work, or perhaps are nudged by affordability pressures from higher energy prices.
“Health care is the one industry that continues to buck trends, adding 17,000 good-paying jobs, especially for women who are concentrated in this sector. Construction and manufacturing are also industries that added jobs last month. We can point directly to data centers and artificial intelligence for growth in the building and production industries. These are high-paying jobs for men, which need to continue to woo men back into the workforce. Policymakers should be embracing, rather than halting, data center construction to boost employment now and in the future.”
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