U.S. Jobless Rate Fell To 50-Year Low

(Politico) ASSOCIATED PRESS 10/04/2019 08:36 AM The U.S. unemployment rate fell in September to a new five-decade low of 3.5 while employers added a modest 136000 jobs. The Labor Department says that despite the ultra-low unemployment rate which was down from 3.7 in August average hourly wages slipped by a penny. Hourly pay rose just 2.9 from a year earlier lower than 3.4 at the beginning of the year. Hiring has slowed this year as the U.S.-China trade war has intensified global growth has slowed and businesses have cut back on their investment spending. Still hiring has averaged 157000 in the past three months enough to lower the unemployment rate over time. The unemployment rate for Latinos fell to 3.9 the lowest on records dating from 1973.