The U.S. Jobs Report for October Shows Disappointing Numbers

The U.S. job report for October showed that the labor market grew by much smaller margins than expected. The state of the American economy pre-elections gives consumers and government officials a way to chart the course for the next stage of planning. Due to multiple ups and downs as a result of climate phenomena and union activity, there have been considerable fluctuations in the number of jobs that were created.

In October 2024, job numbers showed that the U.S. added 12,000 jobs, which fell short of the Dow Jones estimates suggesting 110,000 jobs, and clearly below September’s 254,000 job additions. The U.S. labor market report was provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics and detailed the estimate of the number of nonfarm payroll additions. 

The U.S. Jobs Report for October Shows Only 12,000 Jobs Were Added Last Month

U.S. employers added only 12,000 jobs to the market in October, making it the weakest month for job growth since December 2024, according to Forbes. America’s manufacturing industry lost 46,000 jobs in October primarily due to the strikes at Boeing. 

The ongoing conflict between the employer and employees has extended beyond expectations to create a situation that is taxing for Boeing, its contractors, and the economy at large. 

Reports suggest that manufacturing added jobs to the economy in only 4 of the past 10 months. The biggest monthly gain in this category was witnessed in April when it added 7,000 jobs. The peak number of jobs added in the industry last year was 13,000 jobs last September.

The U.S. job growth slowdown has also been linked to the weather conditions that rampaged across the country. Hurricane Milton and Helene caused significant damage and resulted in a significant work stoppage. It is not possible to quantify the net effect of the storms, however, their impact cannot be denied. 

These major events aside, there has been a gradual cooling of the labor market over the last few months. The estimates for job gains in August and September had also been revised by a total of 112,000. 

Despite U.S. Job Growth Slowdown, Unemployment Rate Holds Steady

The Labor Department’s U.S. labor market report also indicated that unemployment remained steady at 4.1% in October. This matched economist forecasts and the numbers that were seen in September. 

The number went up from the 3.8% witnessed last October, but it still falls within the normal historic range. NPR explains that despite various bumps in the job market, the low unemployment rate indicates the overall economy is growing at a healthy clip.

The household survey from where the unemployment rate is determined found that 512,000 individuals could not work in October. Over 1.4 million people with full-time positions were only able to work part-time as a result of the weather. 

Healthcare and government sectors have been leading in terms of the most jobs added to the market, going up 52,000 and 40,000 respectively. At the same time, employment in manufacturing declined by 46,000 positions. Other industries like professional and business services and hospitality also showed a steep decline.

Layoffs have caused their fair share of damage to the overall job numbers, but with the changing political landscape and the worst of the Boeing strikes behind us, it could stand to reason that November will provide us with more optimistic numbers.