U.S. employers added 165,000 jobs in October, well above the 65,000 economists polled by FactSet expected, the Labor Department reported Friday, Nov. 6, according to CBS News.
The unemployment rate dipped to 4.1% from 4.2% in September.
The department also revised August and September payroll gains up by a combined 84,000.
Professional and business services led with 70,000 jobs, followed by health care with 42,000.
Payroll gains in 2026 have averaged about 86,000 a month through October, compared with an average of about 10,000 a month in 2025, CBS News reported. Layoffs remain low, though inflation continues to outpace wage growth.
Sources: CBS News. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
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