Unemployment rate up over last month while hiring slowed - The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

WASHINGTON -- U.S. employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked up last month, the government reported Friday. Hiring dropped from a revised 133,000 in August, the Labor Department said. The unemployment rate rose from 4.1% in August to a still-low 4.2%. Economists had expected September payrolls to come in around 90,000. Labor Department revisions also shaved 60,000 jobs off combined July and August payrolls. The new hiring data could draw the Federal Reserve's attention back to hiring and jobs, given that one of the central bank's two mandates is to seek maximum employment. Many Fed officials have said in recent weeks that they are primarily focused on their other mission, which is combating inflation.