US economy adds 194,000 jobs in September: Govt

The United States added 194,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent, government data released Friday showed, a mixed result as the world's largest economy recovers from the pandemic.

Fewer jobs were gained than expected but the unemployment rate dropped by more than analysts predicted, with the Labor Department noting employment rising in the leisure and hospitality sector that had been hard hit by Covid-19, but declining in public education.

Hiring was overall much weaker than the upwardly revised 366,000 positions added in August, and may indicate that the Covid-19 Delta variant made businesses hesitant and held back employment.