U.S. unemployment ticks up to 4.2% as Labor Department releases disappointing job numbers for September

Only 29,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy in September 2026.

A hiring sign is displayed at a sandwich shop, in Streamwood, Ill., Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2026. [Photo: Nam Y. Huh/AP Photo]

U.S. employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked up last month, the government reported Friday, a month before voters go to the polls in pivotal midterm elections at a time of discontent over the high cost of living and the state of the economy.Hiring dropped from a revised 133,000 in August, the Labor Department reported. The unemployment rate rose to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1% in August.Economists had expected September payrolls to come in at 90,000.Labor Department revisions also shaved 60,000 jobs off combined July and August payrolls. Average hourly wages were up just 3% last year from a year earlier — smallest year-over-year gain since May 2021.The U.S. job market has proven........

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