Employment Situation Summary - 2026 M09 Results
The official September report recorded 29,000 additional payroll jobs and an unemployment rate of 4.2%.
TL;DR
- U.S. nonfarm payroll employment increased by 29,000 in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- The unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from 4.1% in August, and the July-August payroll change was revised down by a combined 60,000.
- The release gives a weaker hiring picture for September, while one monthly report alone does not establish the direction of the broader economy.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nonfarm payroll employment rose by 29,000 in September and that the unemployment rate increased to 4.2% from 4.1% in August. The agency also revised the combined July and August payroll change down by 60,000. [1] [2]
The weak monthly payroll gain was the central signal in coverage by the Associated Press and CNBC. The BLS release remains the source for the headline figures; those figures describe the survey period and may be revised in later releases. [1] [2] [3]
Why it matters
The release puts hiring and the upward move in unemployment back into the near-term labor-market picture, while the downward revisions weaken the preceding two-month comparison. It is one input to the employment outlook, not a standalone forecast of Federal Reserve decisions or future growth.
Editor's note
The headline is the BLS release title verbatim. Payroll, unemployment, and revision figures are sourced to the agency and cross-checked against AP and CNBC. No investment or policy recommendation is implied.