The 'better-than-expected' September jobs report

The feds offer a glimmer of hope by announcing that the long-stalled economy added 103,000 jobs in September

A New Jersey job fair
(Image credit: Amanda Brown/Star Ledger/Corbis)

In a welcome contrast to August's "horrific" jobs report, which showed zero jobs added to the economy that month, the September numbers are at least being greeted as "better than expected." On Friday, the Labor Department reported that the economy added 103,000 jobs in September, and that unemployment remained at 9.1 percent. The private sector added 137,000 jobs, while the public sector lost 34,000. The report also revised the August estimates — from zero jobs added to a 57,000-job gain. Is this a beacon of hope?

Yes. This should ease fears of a double-dip recession: This report is "further evidence that the danger of slipping back into recession is likely not imminent," says Zachary Roth at Yahoo! News. Sure, the 103,000 jobs added last month didn't change the unemployment rate, but the news is cheerier than the 60,000-job gain economists predicted. Plus, the revision to those August numbers helps make the whole jobs picture a bit less worrisome than we thought a month ago.

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