AlHijjah 17, 1434, Oct 22, 2013, SPA -- The U.S. economy added 148,000 jobs in September, the government reported Tuesday, suggesting that employers refrained from hiring before a 16-day federal government shutdown started October 1. Still, hiring was strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate, which fell to 7.2 percent from 7.3 percent in August and almost to a five-year low, the Labor Department said. The economy has added an average of 143,000 jobs a month from July through September, down from an average of 182,000 from April through June. Revisions of the previous two months were mixed. Employers added 193,000 jobs in August, better than the initial estimate of 169,000, but they added only 89,000 in July, the fewest in more than a year and below the previously reported 104,000. There were some positive aspects in the September report. Several industries added jobs at a strong pace, including construction, government, and transportation. Average hourly pay rose. In the past year, hourly pay has increased 2.1 percent, ahead of the 1.5 percent inflation rate.
