The recently released September jobs report showed U.S. job growth fell to the slowest pace in 2021. The economy added 194,000 jobs representing the smallest monthly gain since December 2020. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.8% as many workers exited the workforce. A decline in public sector jobs, primarily in schools, was the biggest factor in the weak numbers. Many people believe the spread of the Delta variant of COVID has kept a certain percentage of potential workers on the sidelines.