Jobs report: US employers add more than 250,000 jobs to blow past estimates

[JANASENA]

America’s job market picked up in September, employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows, with U.S. employers adding 254,000 jobs. 

The number was higher than the average monthly gain of 203,000 over the previous 12 months, according to the Labor Department, with jobs trending up in the food and drink industries, health care, government, social assistance and construction. Job growth blew past forecaster estimates and exceeded the revised August tally of 159,000 new positions.

The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% in September from 4.2% in August.

A strong jobs report was not what most economic forecasters expected. The job market was expected to show continued cooling in September. New hiring slowed over the summer, after a strong spring, as bad weather other seasonal factors dampened hiring.