US employers add 142,000 jobs in September

Though employers added 142,000 jobs in September, the unemployment rate was unchanged, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The national jobless rate held steady at 5.1 percent last month, according to a news release.

Employment increases were led by the following industries:
    •    health care, 34,000 jobs;
    •    professional and business services, 31,000 jobs;
    •    retail trade, 24,000 jobs;
    •    food services and drinking places, 21,000 jobs; and
    •    information, 12,000 jobs.

Mining offset the increases, dropped by 10,000 last month. Losses were concentrated in support activities, at 7,000. There was little change in construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, financial activities and government, according to the release.

In September, the number of unemployed people was little changed at 7.9 million. The number of unemployed for less than five weeks increased by 268,000 to 2.4 million. Those marginally attached to the labor force - looking for jobs but not employed - was 1.9 million.

The most recent BLS data put Missouri’s unemployment rate at 5.2 percent in August and the Springfield metropolitan statistical area rate at 4.5 percent that month, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.