U.S. adds 136,000 jobs in Sept.; unemployment falls to 50-year low

Oct. 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. economy added 136,000 jobs for the month of September and the unemployment rate sank even further, the U.S. Labor Department said Friday.

In its monthly analysis, the department said unemployment fell to 3.5 percent last month -- the lowest it's been since December 1969. The number of added jobs was in line with most analysts' projections. A report by ADP and Moody's Wednesday showed a September addition of 135,000.

Unemployment among Caucasians and men declined to 3.2 percent last month, the report said, while African Americans showed the highest unemployment rate, at 5.5 percent. Unemployment for adult women fell to 3.1 percent.

The domestic economy has averaged monthly job gains of 161,000 so far this year. That is down from the 223,000 jobs per month average from last year.

The greatest labor gains were seen in healthcare (39,000), professional and business services (34,000), government (22,000) and transportation and warehousing (16,000). The retail industry lost 11,000 jobs.

The report said wages in September showed an overall increase this year of just 2.9 percent, the lowest increase since July 2018.

Friday's report also updated job figures for prior months. August's total was revised up to 168,000, from 130,000, and July from 159,000 to 166,000. Combined, there were 45,000 more jobs added to the economy than were initially reported.