According to a recent report by the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate in September dipped to 4.2 percent. This is 0.2 percent lower than the unemployment rate in August and 0.1 percent lower than the unemployment rate in July. The number of jobs created fell by 33,000 after adding an average of 172,000 jobs per month over the last 12 months. Employment increased in health care, transportation, and warehousing. Employment decreased in food services and drinking places.
Here are some of the highlights for the month of September.
BROAD OVERVIEW
- Unemployment decreased from 4.4% in August to 4.2% in September
- Wages rose by 12 cents to $26.55 in September
- Workweek hours remained the same at 34.4 hours in September
UNEMPLOYMENT BY DEMOGRAPHICS
- Unemployment for adult men declined from 4.1% to 3.9%
- Unemployment for adult women declined from 4.0% to 3.9%
- Unemployment for Blacks declined to 7.0%
- Unemployment for Whites (3.7%), Asians (3.7%), and Hispanics (5.15%) showed little change
UNEMPLOYMENT BY EDUCATION
- Unemployment for persons without a high school diploma increased by 0.5%
- Unemployment for persons with a high school diploma decreased by 0.8%
- Unemployment for persons with a bachelor’s degree or higher decreased by 0.2%
UNEMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY
- Construction increased by 0.1%
- Wholesale trade increased by 0.1%
- Transportation and warehousing increased by 0.4%
- Education and health services increased by 0.1%
- Leisure and hospitality decreased by 0.7%
