Full Breakdown
Trump Administration Faces Weak September Job Growth Ahead of Midterms
By Drooid · · How we work
September Jobs Report Highlights
The Labor Department’s September report showed the economy added 29,000 jobs, far below the 90,000 economists had forecast. Revisions cut July’s gain by 60,000 jobs and August’s by 29,000, leaving July with a 10,000-job loss (down 31,000 from the prior estimate) and August with 133,000 new jobs. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.2 % from 4.1 % in August, contrary to expectations that it would hold steady. Hourly wages rose 0.1 % to $37.81, while the August inflation rate was 0.4 %, resulting in real wages that lag behind price growth.
Economic Trends Under the Trump Administration
Since President Donald Trump took office, the average monthly job increase over the past 12 months has been 45,000, compared with more than 120,000 per month in 2024, the final year of the prior administration. Health-care hiring slowed to 17,000 jobs, well under the 12-month average of 33,000. Construction added 11,000 jobs, modestly above its recent average but below the 2024 level, while manufacturing contributed 9,000 jobs. The financial sector shed 7,000 positions. Wage growth has stalled at a five-year low, with annual earnings up 3 % versus year-over-year inflation of 3.4 %.
Official White House Response
The administration emphasized the September private-sector additions during a rally for Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei on October 1, 2026 in Durant, Oklahoma.
Economic Analysts’ Critique
Critics argue the report signals a “grinding to a halt” in the labor market, pointing to sluggish hiring and declining real wages that limit workers’ bargaining power.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Today’s disappointing report shows the labor market is grinding to a halt, marked by slow hiring and declining real wages that leave workers with very little leverage,” — Kyle Moore
- “More than one million private-sector jobs have now been created under President Trump. In September, the private sector added jobs, and labor participation rose, while President Trump has shrunk the federal bureaucracy to the lowest levels since the 1960s,” — spokesperson