Economic Buzz: US unemployment rate edges up 4.4% in September
The Labor Department said non-farm payroll employment jumped by 119,000 jobs in September after a revised dip of 4,000 jobs in August.
The stronger than expected job growth came as employment continued to trend higher in the healthcare, food services and drinking places, and social assistance sectors.
Meanwhile, the report showed a continued decline in federal government employment as well as a decrease in transportation and warehousing jobs.
The Labor Department also said the unemployment rate crept up to 4.4 percent in September from 4.3 percent in August. The unemployment rate was expected to remain unchanged.
The unexpected uptick by the unemployment rate came as the labor force grew by 470,000 persons, outpacing the 251,000-person increase by the household survey measure of employment.
The report also said average hourly employee earnings climbed by 9 cents or 0.2 percent to $36.67 in September.
Average hourly employee earnings in September were up by 3.8 percent compared to the same month a year ago, unchanged from an upwardly revised reading for August.
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