WASHINGTON — U.S. employment growth accelerated in September, but the labor market remained sluggish and failed to keep pace with new job-seekers as employers dealt with fallout from import tariffs and integrated artificial intelligence into some positions. The jobless rate rose to 4.4%, its highest level in four years, from 4.3% in August, the Labor Department said in its closely watched employment report on Thursday. The August payrolls data was revised to show employers shedding jobs for the second time this year, underscoring the labor market softness.

Other data from the Labor Department showed layoffs stayed low in mid-November, suggesting the job market remained stuck in what economists and policymakers call a “no-hire, no-fire” state.

Some economists viewed the rise in the jobles

See Full Page