The unemployment rate fell to 7.9% in September, but job growth continued to stall

The unemployment rate was 7.9% in September, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). That’s down half a percentage point from the previous month but still up 4.4% from February before COVID-19 shutdowns began. An estimated 12.6 million people remained out of work in September, up 6.8 million from February. Others left the workforce: The labor force participation rate — the percentage of the population either working or actively seeking work — was down by two percentage points compared to February, at 61.4%.