US job growth slows as unemployment rises before midterm elections

In September, US job growth slowed to 29,000, significantly below economists' expectations of 84,000 to 90,000 jobs. The unemployment rate rose by 0.1 percentage points from 4.1% to 4.2%. The healthcare sector led the gains with 17,000 new jobs, followed by construction with 11,000 and manufacturing with 9,000. The week saw worsening economic data ahead of the November midterm elections.