U.S. Adds 165,000 Jobs in October as Unemployment Falls to 4.1%
Updated
Updated · Chattanooga Times Free Press · Nov 14
U.S. Adds 165,000 Jobs in October as Unemployment Falls to 4.1%
3 articles · Updated · Chattanooga Times Free Press · Nov 14
Summary
165,000 nonfarm jobs were added in October, crushing the 65,000 consensus forecast and far exceeding the prior 12-month average of 48,000.
AI investment drove much of the surprise: professional and business services added 70,000 jobs, health care 42,000, and manufacturing 19,000 as AI-related capital spending lifted demand for industrial inputs.
84,000 upward revisions to August and September payrolls reinforced the strength, a combination that likely increased the odds of a December Federal Reserve rate hike.
4.1% unemployment still masked a "low-hire, low-fire" market, with 7 million officially unemployed, 6 million more outside the labor force who want jobs, and average joblessness stretching to 27 weeks.
2 million workers were unemployed for more than 27 weeks, underscoring how AI-fueled hiring strength has not fully reached sidelined job seekers.