AlHijjah 17, 1433, Nov 2, 2012, SPA -- U.S. employers increased hiring in October, and hiring was stronger over the previous two months than previously estimated, the government reported Friday, a hopeful sign for a weak economy that has threatened the re-election prospects of President Barack Obama. The Labor Department said employers added 171,000 jobs to their payrolls last month. The gains in October were widespread across most industries. The department also said 84,000 more jobs were created in September and August than initially reported. The unemployment rate, however, rose 0.1 percentage point to 7.9 percent as more workers restarted job searches. While the increase in the unemployment rate was expected, the increase in payrolls easily surpassed economists' forecasts. The department said that Hurricane Sandy, which hit the U.S. east coast on October 29, had “no discernible effect" on the employment data. The last government report on employment before Tuesday's election showed a job market that is gradually gaining momentum after nearly stalling in the spring. Since July, the economy has created an average of 173,000 jobs a month, up from 67,000 a month from April through June. The economy has added jobs for 25 consecutive months, and there now are 580,000 more jobs than when Obama took office in early 2009.
