Pre-election U.S. jobless rate rises slightly

The U.S. unemployment rate rose a tenth of a point to 7.9 percent in October.

The national employment data, posted this morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, represents the last report to be released before the Nov. 6 election, which has focused largely on jobs.

The latest report follows a banner month in September, when the national unemployment rate dropped to 7.8 percent, the lowest rate in nearly four years. The U.S. jobless rate had been above 8 percent since February 2009, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 171,000 in October, above the the average of 157,000 per month in 2012. The number of unemployed in the country, 12.3 million, was virtually unchanged from September, according to the BLS.