In a sign of continued economic stamina, American payrolls grew by 336,000 in September on a seasonally adjusted basis, the Labor Department said on Friday.
The increase, almost double what economists had forecast, confirmed the labor market’s vitality and the overall hardiness of an economy facing challenges from a variety of forces.
It was the 33rd consecutive month of job growth, and the increase was the biggest since January.
The unemployment rate, based on a survey of households, was steady at 3.8 percent.
It has been below 4 percent for nearly two years, a stretch not achieved since the late 1960s.
Persons:
payrolls
Organizations:
Labor Department