September jobs report adds 119,000, steady unemployment

By Andrew Rice
The Center Square

The delayed release of a September report on the labor market appeared to defy expectations.

The report showed employers added 119,000 jobs in September, a number that outpaces some economists expectations. The report was delayed due to the federal government shutdown.

The health care sector added 43,000 jobs in September a slight increase to its average monthly gain of 42,000. The construction sector also saw an increase with an additional 19,000 jobs in September.

“We expect this momentum to continue as the President’s full economic agenda takes effect, including the historic tax relief provided by the Working Family Tax Cuts and the trillions of dollars President Trump has secured to re-industrialize our nation,” said Lori Chavez-DeRemer, secretary of the Department of Labor.

Transportation and warehousing saw a loss of 25,300 jobs in September and manufacturing lost 6,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate was at 4.4%, a slight increase from 4.3% in August.

Wages also showed an increase in the September report. Average hourly earnings rose by nine cents, or 0.2%.

Vice President JD Vance praised the report’s release when speaking at an even Thursday morning.

“What this shows is that the Trump economic policies are actually working,” Vance said.

Vance also highlighted increases for native-born workers compared to foreign workers from the report.

According to yearly data, 2.5 million native-born workers gained employment, while 670,000 foreign-born workers lost employment.

“The best thing that you can say about the Trump economy is that American jobs are going to American workers for a change, and that’s the thing that I’m proudest about with these numbers,” Vance said.

Due to the federal government shutdown, the Department of Labor will not release a separate October jobs report. The November jobs report which will be released on Dec. 16 and include data from October.