Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2020-10-02

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 661,000 in September, and the unemployment rate fell to 7.9 percent. These improvements reflect the continued resumption of economic activity that had been curtailed due to the coronavirus (COVID- 19) pandemic and efforts to contain it. In September, employment continued to increase in several industries, with the largest gains in leisure and hospitality, in retail trade, in health care and social assistance, and in professional and business services. By contrast, employment declined in government, mainly in state and local government education. The September payroll employment increase of 661,000 followed larger gains in the prior 4 months. As of September, total nonfarm payroll employment is down by 10.7 million (or 7.0 percent) since February, before the pandemic unfolded in many parts of the United States.