September 2025 Jobs Report: Employers Add 119,000 Jobs

Article

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its September jobs report on November 20, 2025, nearly 7 weeks behind schedule due to delays in data collection during the federal government shutdown that ended on November 12.

According to the BLS, U.S. employers expanded payrolls by 119,000 jobs in September, more than double economists’ forecast of 50,000 jobs.

The September jobs report also notes that the U.S. economy saw 33,000 fewer jobs added than previously reported for July and August combined.

Private education and health services a top driver for September’s job gains

Employers in education and health services were a key source of the U.S. economy’s job growth in September, adding 59,000 positions. Another major contributor was the leisure and hospitality industry, which added 47,000 jobs.

Other industries that saw notable job gains in September include:

Government: 22,000 jobs added

Construction: 19,000 jobs added

Retail trade: 13,900 jobs added

Wholesale trade: 9,400 jobs added

Financial activities: 5,000 jobs added

Industries that saw payroll contraction include transportation and warehousing (-25,300 jobs), professional and business services (-20,000 jobs), and manufacturing (-6,000 jobs).

Unemployment rate ticks up to 4.4%

The national unemployment rate was 4.4% in September, up from 4.3% reported in August.

The unemployment rate for college-degreed workers also increased slightly, rising from 2.7% in August to 2.8% in September. These professionals are the most highly sought-after workers by many employers.

Employers leaning more on contract talent as uncertainty persists

While job creation in September exceeded economists’ expectations, other recent data shows a mixed picture of the U.S. labor market, with reports of some hiring as well as significant layoffs in October.*

There are signs of renewed confidence among U.S. business leaders, though. For example, Chief Executive’s CEO Confidence Index fielded in the first week of November found CEOs’ rating of the current business environment up 3%, adding to October’s gain of 11%. At 5.9 on a 10-point scale, this rating is the second highest level of the year. Reasons cited for the heightened optimism include increasing business demand, lower interest rates and improving inflation.

Meanwhile, the demand for professionals with specialized skills remains strong in many industries, including finance and accounting, human resources (HR), technology, and marketing and creative. Job openings are also continuing to trend above historical averages, signaling pent-up demand for talent.

However, many businesses are still taking a wait-and-see approach to hiring, at least for the near term, and those actively recruiting are struggling to find skilled professionals in the labor market. To keep projects moving forward and meet critical deadlines, many companies are leaning more on contract talent. Robert Half’s research shows 67% of employers plan to increase contract hiring in the second half of this year, citing staffing flexibility, cost savings and access to expertise as top factors for embracing this strategy.

Need to hire highly skilled contract talent to support your business priorities? Contact us.

Check out Robert Half’s Labor Market Overview page

View the data

Access research-based insights into how the U.S. hiring market is trending, which industries are hiring most, hybrid and remote work trends, employers’ talent recruitment challenges, and more.

Get details on 2026 compensation trends in Robert Half’s Salary Guide

Explore the 2026 Salary Guide

The latest Salary Guide From Robert Half covers hiring and compensation trends across 7 professional fields: finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal, administrative and customer support, nonclinical healthcare, and HR.

Our annual guide features exclusive data and input from employers and workers, and from our recruiters who staff tens of thousands of jobs each year. The Salary Guide can be a valuable resource, whether you’re hiring talent, developing a staffing strategy for your business or launching a job search.

Dig deeper into U.S. hiring trends in our Demand for Skilled Talent report

Read the report

Robert Half’s Demand for Skilled Talent report delivers detailed data and analysis on trends in the U.S. hiring market. Get insight into employers’ hiring plans and challenges for the second half of 2025, recruitment plans by company size, hiring trends by profession, the risks of not prioritizing succession and talent pipeline planning, and more.

*The BLS announced it will not publish a jobs report for October but will include establishment survey data for the month as part of its November jobs report scheduled for release on December 16, 2025.

Facing recruitment challenges for certain roles? Here’s why—and how to overcome them

December 2025 Labor Market Update: What Employers and Job Seekers Should Know

February 2026 Labor Market Update: What employers and job seekers should know