AlHijjah 17, 1434, October 22, 2013, SPA -- The unemployment rate dipped in September in the United States to a nearly five-year low of 7.2 per cent, according to delayed data released Tuesday by the Bureau of Labour Statistics, dpa reported. Scheduled for release on October 4, the information was delayed due to the shutdown of most non-essential government operations from October 1-16, as Congress failed to pass a budget for the start of the new US fiscal year. The Bureau of Labour Statistics, which issues employment and inflation reports, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis, which tracks gross domestic product, were not able to collect or process data during the shutdown and only reopened with other agencies on October 17. The unemployment rate is down from 7.3 per cent in August and 7.7 per cent in June, based on the bureau's long-running survey of households. The September rate is the lowest since November 2008. Payrolls grew by 148,000 in September, based on a separate survey of employers. The payroll expansion fell short of Wall Street expectations. A Bloomberg news survey of 93 economist produced a median forecast of 180,000 new hires. Over the last 12 months, payroll growth has averaged 185,000 per month. The total number of people unable to find work was 11.26 million, down from 11.31 million in August. -- SPA 00:00 LOCAL TIME 21:00 GMT تغريد
