US adds 29,000 jobs in September as unemployment rises to 4.2%
CIE News ·
The U.S. economy added 29,000 jobs in September, falling short of expectations as the unemployment rate climbed to 4.2%, according to government data reported by CoinDesk.
The U.S. labor market added 29,000 jobs in September, according to the Nonfarm Payrolls Report released on October 2, 2026, and reported by CoinDesk. The figure missed the consensus expectation of 90,000 payrolls and followed an August gain revised downward to 133,000 from an initial estimate of 162,000. Over the same period, the unemployment rate increased to 4.2%, exceeding both the August figure of 4.1% and forecasts of 4.1%.
According to CoinDesk, the lower-than-anticipated employment numbers could allow the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates steady despite ongoing inflation pressures. Ahead of the data release, short-term rate markets had lowered the probability of an October 28 rate hike to 23%, down from near-certain pricing earlier in the week.