The Employment Situation: September 1999 — 1999-10-08

Payroll employment was essentially unchanged in September, and the unemployment rate remained at 4.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employment declined in manufacturing and retail trade, and the services industry added relatively few jobs over the month. Average hourly earnings rose by 7 cents in September, following a 2-cent increase in August. The number of unemployed persons, 5.8 million, was essentially unchanged in September, and the unemployment rate held at 4.2 percent. The rate has been 4.2 or 4.3 percent each month since March. The jobless rates for most major demographic groups--adult men (3.4 percent), adult women (3.7 percent), whites (3.6 percent), blacks (8.3 percent), and Hispanics (6.7 percent)-- showed little or no change from August. The rate for teenagers rose to 15.0 percent in September. (See tables A-1 and A-2.) The civilian labor force, at 139.4 million, was essentially unchanged in September.