US Economy Adds Just 12,000 Jobs in October

The figure came in a month that included a strike and hurricanes. The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 percent.

A woman walks into a restaurant displaying a Now Hiring sign in Royal Oak, Mich., on Oct. 12, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

In the final comprehensive snapshot of the national labor market heading into next week’s presidential election, the economy added a much smaller-than-expected number of jobs in October.

Last month, there were just 12,000 new jobs, below the consensus estimate of 113,000. This represented the smallest monthly employment gain since December 2020.