Economy adds lower-than-expected 136,000 jobs, unemployment rate drops
The Labor Department reported Friday that the U.S. economy added 136,000 new non-farm jobs in September, falling short of a 150,000 increase forecast by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. The job growth was the slowest in four months as U.S. companies grew more hesitant to hire new workers as signs of possible economic trouble piled up. The hiring was still considered solid, with August and July gains revised up by a total of 45,000, although gains for the year through August averaged about 160,000 compared to 223,000 a month in 2018. The unemployment rate dropped to 3.5 percent, the lowest in 50 years.
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