WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 254,000 jobs were added in September. Also, July and August employment growth was revised up by 72,000 jobs combined. The unemployment rate ticked down by 0.1% to 4.1% from 4.2%. The number of unemployed persons fell to 6.2 million from 7.1 million. The labor force participation rate held at 62.7% (still below pre-pandemic levels).
For women:
- The unemployment rate for adult women fell slightly to 3.6% from 3.7%.
- The unemployment rate fell to 5.3% for black women and to 4.8% from 5% for Hispanic women.
- Women’s labor force participation rose 0.3% to 57.6%.
Patrice Onwuka, director of the Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) at Independent Women’s Forum, issued the following statement:
“Jobs growth last month is surprisingly stronger than the trends predicted it would be, and that’s a positive development. However, look under the hood and we find troubling areas for women and workers.
“Given the affordability crisis that drags on for another month, more Americans are moonlighting. Over half a million more workers are holding multiple jobs than at this time last year. Women, even more than men, are taking on additional work or juggling side hustles to make ends meet. Jobs growth feels less positive if Americans are forced to take on a second job just to afford rent, utilities, medicine, and groceries because one job is not enough.
“When we examine the industries experiencing jobs growth, we find mixed results. Food services, health care, and government are the three big drivers of job growth. Women are concentrated in food and beverage jobs, but these industries do not carry big paychecks and can be unstable. Government hiring is not the same as real private-sector jobs growth and simply inflates the employment growth. Meanwhile, layoffs in the tech sector and closures of retail companies shrink the pool of higher-paying or more flexible jobs that people are looking for.
“And after a year of major revisions, like everyone getting these estimates, it’s hard not to wonder—just how much we can even trust these numbers or will we see them revised again next month?”
Read the stories of women and men who stand to lose flexible opportunities HERE.
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Independent Women’s Forum is dedicated to developing and advancing policies that aren’t just well intended but actually enhance people’s freedom, choices, and opportunities.
Independent Women’s Forum’s Center for Economic Opportunity (CEO) aims to educate the public about how government policies impact people’s opportunities for economic development and upward mobility.