{
  "id": 11574411,
  "title": "US jobs data comes in lower than expected",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/us-jobs-data-comes-in-lower-than-expected",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-10-03T01:22:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "RTHK News - Finance",
    "slug": "rthk-news-finance",
    "url": "https://news.rthk.hk/rthk/en/component/k2/1872524-20261003.htm"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The US added 29,000 jobs in September, falling short of analysts' predictions, according to government data released on Friday. The unemployment rate climbed to 4.2 percent. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also revised down job numbers for July and August by a total of 60,000, revealing that the economy actually shed jobs in July instead of gaining. This data arrives before the November midterm elections, where President Donald Trump's Republican Party is facing a significant challenge regarding their economic management. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal had anticipated 84,000 new jobs in September. Overall, job growth was modest across key industries, with the healthcare sector adding 17,000 positions. Healthcare has been a bright spot for the labor market in recent times as an aging population demands more medical services at home and in hospitals. Nonetheless, September's gains in healthcare were smaller than the sector's typical monthly increase of 33,000 over the past year. The financial sector suffered its second consecutive monthly job loss, shedding 7,000 jobs and shrinking its total decline from a recent May 2025 peak by 129,000. Most of these losses were in the insurance industry. Average hourly earnings rose by 3.0 percent, yet wages lag behind soaring inflation, resulting in most workers experiencing real wage declines. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren used the figures to attack Trump's leadership, stating that paychecks have grown at their slowest pace in nearly seven years, aside from the COVID-19 pandemic. She attributed this to Trump's ineffective policies and his failed Iran war, which has caused rising global energy prices and violence in the Middle East. The release of the data precedes the Federal Reserve's recent interest rate hike to combat high inflation.",
  "summary": "Employment in the United States grew by 29,000 jobs in September, missing analysts' expectations significantly, with the unemployment rate rising slightly to 4.2 percent, government data showed on Friday. Adding to the weak data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) also revised down job figures for July and August by a combined 60,000 jobs, the department said in a statement. The revision to…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}