U.S. Unemployment Unchanged at 3.8% for September
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 336,000 in September, and the unemployment rate
was unchanged at 3.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job gains
occurred in leisure and hospitality; government; health care; professional, scientific, and
technical services; and social assistance.
Household Survey Data
The major labor market indicators from the survey of households showed little or no change
over the month. The unemployment rate held at 3.8 percent in September, and the number of
unemployed persons was essentially unchanged at 6.4 million. (See table A-1.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (3.8 percent), adult
women (3.1 percent), teenagers (11.6 percent), Whites (3.4 percent), Blacks (5.7 percent),
Asians (2.8 percent), and Hispanics (4.6 percent) showed little or no change in September.
(See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed
at 1.2 million in September. The long-term unemployed accounted for 19.1 percent of all
unemployed persons. (See table A-12.)
Both the labor force participation rate, at 62.8 percent, and the employment-population ratio,
at 60.4 percent, were unchanged over the month. (See table A-1.)
The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.1 million, changed little
in September. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working
part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs.
(See table A-8.)
In September, the number of persons not in the labor force who currently want a job was
5.5 million, little different from the prior month. These individuals were not counted as
unemployed because they were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding
the survey or were unavailable to take a job. (See table A-1.)
Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of persons marginally
attached to the labor force changed little at 1.5 million in September. These individuals
wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months
but had not looked for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged
workers, a subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for
them, also changed little over the month at 367,000. (See Summary table A.)
Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 336,000 in September, above the average monthly
gain of 267,000 over the prior 12 months. In September, job gains occurred in leisure and
hospitality; government; health care; professional, scientific, and technical services;
and social assistance. (See table B-1.)
Leisure and hospitality added 96,000 jobs in September, above the average monthly gain
of 61,000 over the prior 12 months. Employment in food services and drinking places rose
by 61,000 over the month and has returned to its pre-pandemic February 2020 level.
Accommodation employment continued to trend up over the month (+16,000) but remains
below its February 2020 level by 217,000, or 10.3 percent.
In September, government employment increased by 73,000, above the average monthly gain
of 47,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, job gains occurred in state government
education (+29,000) and in local government, excluding education (+27,000). Employment
in government is slightly below (-9,000) its February 2020 level.
Health care added 41,000 jobs in September, compared with the average monthly gain of
53,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, employment continued to trend up in
ambulatory health care services (+24,000), hospitals (+8,000), and nursing and residential
care facilities (+8,000).
Employment in professional, scientific, and technical services increased by 29,000 in
September, in line with the average monthly gain of 27,000 over the prior 12 months.
Social assistance added 25,000 jobs in September, about the same as the average monthly
gain of 23,000 over the prior 12 months. Over the month, job growth occurred in individual
and family services (+19,000).
In September, employment in transportation and warehousing changed little (+9,000).
Truck transportation added 9,000 jobs, following a decline of 25,000 in August that
largely reflected a business closure. Air transportation added 5,000 jobs in September.
Employment in transportation and warehousing has shown little net change over the year.
Employment in information changed little in September (-5,000). Within the industry,
employment in motion picture and sound recording industries continued to trend down
(-7,000) and has declined by 45,000 since May, reflecting the impact of labor disputes.
Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining,
quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail
trade; financial activities; and other services.
In September, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose
by 7 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $33.88. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings
have increased by 4.2 percent. In September, average hourly earnings of private-sector
production and nonsupervisory employees rose by 6 cents, or 0.2 percent, to $29.06.
(See tables B-3 and B-8.)
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at
34.4 hours in September. In manufacturing, the average workweek was little changed at
40.1 hours, and overtime was unchanged at 3.1 hours. The average workweek for production
and nonsupervisory employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained at 33.8 hours.
(See tables B-2 and B-7.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for July was revised up by 79,000, from
+157,000 to +236,000, and the change for August was revised up by 40,000, from +187,000
to +227,000. With these revisions, employment in July and August combined is 119,000
higher than previously reported. (Monthly revisions result from additional reports
received from businesses and government agencies since the last published estimates
and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.)
Employment Situation Summary Table A. Household data, seasonally adjusted
Employment Situation Summary Table B. Establishment data, seasonally adjusted
Employment Situation Frequently Asked Questions
Employment Situation Technical Note
Table A-1. Employment status of the civilian population by sex and age
Table A-2. Employment status of the civilian population by race, sex, and age
Table A-3. Employment status of the Hispanic or Latino population by sex and age
Table A-4. Employment status of the civilian population 25 years and over by educational attainment
Table A-7. Employment status of the civilian population by nativity and sex, not seasonally adjusted
Table A-8. Employed persons by class of worker and part-time status
Table A-9. Selected employment indicators
Table A-10. Selected unemployment indicators, seasonally adjusted
Table A-11. Unemployed persons by reason for unemployment
Table A-12. Unemployed persons by duration of unemployment
Table A-13. Employed and unemployed persons by occupation, not seasonally adjusted
Table A-14. Unemployed persons by industry and class of worker, not seasonally adjusted
Table A-15. Alternative measures of labor underutilization
Table A-16. Persons not in the labor force and multiple jobholders by sex, not seasonally adjusted
Table B-1. Employees on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector and selected industry detail
Table B-5. Employment of women on nonfarm payrolls by industry sector, seasonally adjusted
