A job seeker waits to speak with a recruiter at a job fair in Sunrise, Fla., in August. A Reuters poll finds U.S. non-farm payrolls likely increased by 50,000 jobs in September.

U.S. job growth likely picked up moderately in September, while the unemployment rate held steady near a four-year high of 4.3 per cent, consistent with sluggish labour market conditions that economists and policy-makers have blamed on low supply and demand for workers.

Though the Labor Department’s closely watched employment report on Thursday would be backward-looking, it would confirm the significant loss of momentum in the labour market this year, marked by sharp downward revisions to non-farm payroll counts.

The report was delayed by the 43-day shutdown of the government. The longest shutdown in history has

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