Updated November 20, 2025 at 6:14 AM PST

Hiring picked up in the early fall after a lackluster summer.

An overdue report from the Labor Department Thursday showed U.S. employers added 119,000 jobs in September, while the unemployment rate inched up to 4.4%.

The report was released almost seven weeks behind schedule due to the government shutdown. And because the shutdown also delayed data-gathering, there won't be another jobs report until mid-December.

While the newly released information is a bit stale, it may offer some clues about the pace of hiring and firing this fall.

The report paints a mixed picture of the job market. Hiring was strongest in health care and hospitality in September, while factories and warehouses cut jobs. Downsizing in the federal government also continued

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