Employers across the U.S. added 119,000 jobs in September, marking a pickup after previous employment data had shown a slowdown in hiring. The report marks the first official job tally since the government shutdown ended last week, ending a six-week blackout on labor data.

The numbers

Economists had forecast payroll gains of 50,000 jobs in September, according to a poll by FactSet.

The unemployment rate rose 4.4% in September, up from 4.3% in August and the highest level since Oct. 2021. With robust job growth in September, that suggests more people are re-entering the workforce to search for a job, economists said.

The Labor Department also revised job growth down for July and August by a combined 33,000, a sign that hiring during those months was weaker than previously reported.

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