US employers added a surprising 165,000 jobs in October; unemployment rate dipped to 4.1%

ITV News · ITV News · 2026-11-05 16:53 UTC

U.S. employers created a surprising 165,000 new jobs last month, and the unemployment rate dipped to 4.1%. The hiring beat the 65,000 new jobs forecasters had …

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. job market likely bounced back last month from a disappointing September. Layoffs are low, and most Americans enjoy unusual job security.

But hiring has probably remained too modest to deliver much relief to those looking for work. And wage gains haven’t been keeping up with persistently high inflation.

When the Labor Department releases new data on October job creation and unemployment Friday, they’re expected to show that employers added 65,000 jobs last month and that the unemployment rate remained low at 4.2%, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

Read the full story at ITV News · All coverage of this story