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University of Wisconsin–Madison
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty

September 2013 US Unemployment Rate

  • U.S. gains 148,000 jobs; jobless rate, 7.2%, By Paul Davidson, October 22, 2013, USA Today: “Employers added a disappointing 148,000 jobs in September, extending a summer slowdown in payroll growth.The unemployment rate fell to 7.2% from 7.3%, the Labor Department said Tuesday.The closely-watched survey was scheduled to be released Oct. 4, but was delayed by the federal government shutdown.Economists’ consensus forecast had estimated that 180,000 jobs were added last month. Businesses added just 126,000 jobs, while federal, state and local governments added 22,000…”
  • Delayed Jobs Report Finds U.S. Adding Only 148,000 Jobs, By Catherine Rampell, October 22, 2013, New York Times: “American employers added 148,000 jobs in September, according to a delayed report released Tuesday by the Labor Department. The pace of growth was somewhat slower than what economists had been expecting. The unemployment rate ticked down to 7.2 percent from 7.3 percent the previous month. Federal Reserve officials and economists are closely watching the report for any signs of weakness. But the numbers may not offer the most current picture of the economy…”
  • Unemployment drops to 5-year low, but job growth disappoints, By Don Lee, October 22, 2013, Los Angeles Times: “The nation’s unemployment rate dropped to a five-year low of 7.2% in September, the government reported Tuesday, but employers continued to show reluctance in hiring as they added a moderate 148,000 jobs over the month. The Labor Department report, delayed 2 1/2 weeks because of the partial federal government shutdown, reflected an economy growing at a lackluster rate. The latest job gains matched the pace since the start of summer but came in below Wall Street’s forecast for an increase of about 175,000 jobs. The disappointing growth is likely to reinforce the hesitance of Federal Reserve officials to begin a withdrawal of its monetary stimulus program…”
  • September jobs report shows young people still losing out, By Margaret Price, October 22, 2013, Christian Science Monitor: “Six years after finishing college – with a degree in molecular and cellular biology – Sydney Gray works 18 hours a week as a cashier at a New Orleans farmers’ market. Other times, she volunteers there to get free food. “I can’t even get a job waiting tables,” says Ms. Gray, whose two previous part-time jobs ended when the employers folded. “When I apply for jobs, I’m competing against people with master’s degrees and PhDs.” Today’s job market is not only grueling for young people, it’s also perplexing. The unemployment rate for 20 to 24-year-olds fell slightly to 12.9 percent in September, nearly six percentage points higher than the national average of 7.2 percent and slightly higher than that figure was in September 2012 (12.4 percent)…”
  • U.S. hiring slows in September to 126,000 private-sector jobs, By John Schmid, October 22, 2013, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: “In a sign that the U.S. economy might be losing steam, American employers in September chalked up the second-worst month of hiring of the year with only 126,000 new private-sector jobs. The inability of Washington’s politicians to resolve a budget debt and deficit issues, most recently manifested in a 16-day partial government shutdown, perpetuates a chronic economic uncertainty that leaves employers too cautious to hire aggressively, economists said in reaction to Thursday’s jobs data. “September job growth was positive but disappointing,” and decidedly slower than many expected, said John Heywood, economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee…”