The Last Jobs Report Before the Midterms Shows Just 29,000 Jobs Added in September and Unemployment Rising to 4.2% — Kevin Hassett Says "We're Very, Very Happy With the Numbers," Elizabeth Warren Says "Trump's Failing Economic Agenda Is Weakening the Labor Market," and Richard Neal Says Trump Is "Governing as a Grifter"
On Oct. 2, 2026 — a month before the midterm elections — the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy added just 29,000 jobs in September, well below forecasts of roughly 85,000 to 90,000, and that the unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from 4.1%. Revisions cut a further 60,000 jobs from earlier months: July was revised from a gain of 21,000 to a loss of 10,000, and August from 162,000 to 133,000. Average hourly earnings rose 3.0% over the year, below inflation and the slowest pace in about five years. It was the final monthly jobs report before Election Day. The White House pointed to private-sector and factory-construction hiring, and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett called the report "a little bit lukewarm" but said the administration was "very, very happy with the numbers this week." Democrats on the Senate Banking, House Budget and Ways and Means committees said the numbers showed a weakening labor market, falling real wages and rising costs tied to tariffs and the Iran war, while Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith credited Republican tax cuts.
“[On Fox News:] The thing about the jobs numbers is that they sort of bounce up and down. But if you look at the data from this week, it's proving that Trumponomics is really working, and this is one reason why markets are celebrating so much. And so now we have a jobs report that is a little bit lukewarm, but if you look inside, 12,000 of the jobs were factory construction jobs. So there are 112,000 people who are building factories right now that weren't doing it when President Trump took office. And so those factories will turn into future jobs … So, we're very, very happy with the numbers this week, and I think the markets are, too.”