US adds paltry 194,000 jobs in September, slowest hiring in 2021

Consecutive months of sluggish job growth indicate a tug-of-war between employers who are starved for workers to meet demand and candidates who have been slow to return to the workforce.

U.S. job growth in September was the slowest this year, signaling a tempering of the labor market recovery and complicating a potential decision by the Federal Reserve to begin scaling back monetary support before year end.

Nonfarm payrolls increased 194,000 last month after an upwardly revised 366,000 gain in August, a Labor Department report showed Friday. The unemployment rate fell to 4.8%, partly reflecting a decline in labor force participation among women. Meantime, average hourly earnings jumped.