US Added Just 29,000 Jobs in September; Unemployment Rises to 4.2%

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its September Employment Situation report on Friday, October 2, at 8:30 a.m. ET (release USDL-26-1549). The US economy added only 29,000 nonfarm payroll jobs — well below economists' forecasts, which ranged from roughly 84,000 to 90,000. The unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from 4.1% in August; July and August payroll figures were revised down by a combined 60,000 jobs, with July revised to a net loss of 10,000. The report was the final monthly jobs report before the November 3 midterm elections and cooled expectations of another Federal Reserve rate hike later this month. Source: BLS Employment Situation report via NerdWallet (updated Oct 2, 2026) and WHAS/iHeart citing Reuters: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/jobs-report-unemployment-rate