The U.S. unemployment rate fell to 7.8% in September while nonfarm payrolls rose by 114,000 positions, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.
Hiring in health care, transportation and warehousing increased, while other industries experienced little change in employment growth.
During the first eight months of the year, the unemployment rate fluctuated between 8.1% and 8.3%.
“The number of unemployed persons, at 12.1 million, decreased by 456,000 in September,” the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.
Critics of the survey suggest the numbers fail to provide a comprehensive outlook since they do not include information on those who gave up looking for work or the underemployed.
kpanchuk@housingwire.com