The US unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent in September, dropping
below 6 percent for the first
time in more than six years. The decrease
was powered, in part, by strong growth of payroll jobs. Payroll jobs
increased by 248,000 in September, well above the average for the year
to date. In the same report, the BLS revised the weak August job gain
upward from 142,000 to 180,000, and the July gain from 212,000 to
243,000.
In
addition to the standard unemployment rate, the BLS also publishes a
broader measure of labor market distress known as U-6. That measure
takes into account discouraged workers, others who are marginally
attached to the labor force, and people who are working part time but
would prefer full-time work. U-6 decreased to 11.8 percent in September,
also a six-year low. The unemployment rates are based on a survey of
households that differs in several respects from the survey of employers
from which payroll job numbers are drawn. According to the household
survey, total employed workers increased by 232,000 in September while
the number of unemployed decreased by 329,000. The civilian labor force
decreased by 97,000, and the employment population ratio was unchanged. >>>Read more
Follow this link to view or download a brief slideshow with charts of the latest employment data
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