U.S. unemployment rate slightly down to 7.9 pct in September
Source: Xinhua | 2020-10-03
U.S. employers added 661,000 jobs in September, pushing the unemployment rate down by 0.5 percentage point to 7.9 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.
This compares to an upwardly revised 1.49 million jobs gains in August, when unemployment rate fell by 1.8 percentage points to 8.4 percent, indicating a slowing recovery in the labor market ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
"These improvements in the labor market reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic and efforts to contain it," the bureau said.
The monthly employment report showed that notable job gains in September occurred in leisure and hospitality, retail trade, health care and social assistance, and in professional and business services.
Roughly 22 million people were laid off in March and April amid COVID-19 shutdowns, pushing up the unemployment rate to double digits. Even with the September data, payrolls are still more than 10 million below pre-pandemic levels.
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