(AURN News) — The U.S. economy added 254,000 jobs in September with the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.1%, although it is higher than last year, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Restaurants and bars led the way in hiring, adding 69,000 jobs last month. This surge far outpaced the industry's average monthly gain of 14,000 over the past year. Healthcare also saw significant growth, with 45,000 new positions, particularly in home health care, hospitals, and nursing facilities.

“Today, we received good news for American workers and families with more than 250,000 new jobs in September and unemployment back down at 4.1%. With today’s report, we’ve created 16 million jobs, unemployment remains low, and wages are growing faster than prices. Under my Administration, unemployment has been the lowest in 50 years, a record 19 million new businesses have been created, and inflation and interest rates are falling. And we’re seeing the power of collective bargaining to lift up workers’ wages—including the progress made by dockworkers on record wages with carriers, and port operators and the reopening of East Coast and Gulf ports,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday morning.

Government employment increased upward by 31,000 jobs. Local and state governments accounted for most of these gains. Social assistance and construction sectors also saw notable increases, adding 27,000 and 25,000 jobs respectively.

Despite the robust job growth, there are signs of ongoing challenges in the labor market. The number of long-term unemployed - those jobless for 27 weeks or more - remained at 1.6 million, up from 1.3 million a year ago. Additionally, the number of people working part-time for economic reasons stood at 4.6 million, an increase from 4.1 million last year.

Wages continued to rise, with average hourly earnings increasing by 13 cents to $35.36. This represents a 4.0% increase over the past year. The labor force participation rate remained unchanged at 62.7% for the third consecutive month, indicating that the proportion of Americans either working or actively seeking work has stabilized. The report also included upward revisions to job gains for July and August, adding a combined 72,000 more jobs than previously reported. 

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