The final employment report released prior to the midterm election shows that the economy shed 95,000 jobs in September, providing no relief to congressional Democrats hoping to hold on to their seats.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday released the report which also showed that the unemployment rate held steady at 9.6%.
The private sector, which added 64,000 jobs last month, was unable to offset the 159,000 government positions that were lost in September.
New jobs were created in “professional and business services,” but the report notes that temporary positions account for most of that jump. Health care employment rose substantially last month with an increase of 24,000 jobs. Other growth industries included mining and hospitality, while construction jobs decreased.
Reflecting the difficult economic times, the report notes that the number of people working part time to help make ends meet increased.
Of the 9.6% of the population that is unemployed, 41.6% have been unemployed for over 27 months. This puts them in the category of the long-term unemployed, who often see their potential to reenter the work force diminishing.
In an indication of the psychological toll the current economic situation has taken on the country, the study reports that there were “1.2 million discouraged workers in September, an increase of 503,000 from a year earlier. Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them.”