Employers add fewer jobs in September

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Clients line up outside the Mississippi Department of Employment Security WIN Job Center in Pearl, Miss. Associated Press/Photo by Rogelio V. Solis (file)

WASHINGTON—The Labor Department’s Friday report showed some positive signs as the unemployment rate fell below 8 percent for the first time since March. But the number of jobs added to the economy fell from 1.5 million in August to about 661,000 in September. Almost one-third of the new jobs came from the food and drink industry, while manufacturing accounted for about a tenth of the increase.

When will the next report come out? The Labor Department plans to release the October report on schedule the first Friday in November. That makes Friday's report the last official snapshot of the labor market that voters will see before the presidential election.

Dig deeper: Listen to Nick Eicher and David Bahnsen discuss the state of the economy on the Moneybeat segment of The World and Everything in It.