US economy adds just 29,000 jobs in September, crushing forecasts and hitting Trump ONE MONTH before midterms
From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026.
The US Capitol building, home to Congress, whose Republican majority faces its toughest test yet after September's jobs report showed just 29,000 positions added — two-thirds below forecasts.
America's jobs market has suffered a sharp September slowdown, with employers adding only 29,000 jobs — less than a third of the 90,000 economists had expected and a dramatic drop from August's revised 133,000. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2%, and past revisions stripped a further 60,000 jobs from July and August's combined figures. Only 17% of Americans now approve of Trump's handling of cost-of-living issues, a new record low that eclipses even Joe Biden's worst ratings. The report is the last before the November 3 midterm elections, which will decide whether Republicans retain full control of Congress.
Trump has admitted he has "done a very bad job of explaining how good the country is doing."
Markets expert and former Goldman Sachs analyst Nic Puckrin called it an 'ice-cold report' suggesting the jobs market is less healthy than earlier data implied.
