The U.S. economy added a stronger-than-expected 119,000 jobs in September, even as the unemployment rate climbed to 4.4%, the highest level in nearly four years, according to a government report released Thursday after a weeks-long delay caused by the federal shutdown.
The long-awaited snapshot of the labor market offered a mixed picture. Hiring outpaced economists' expectations, but the increase in joblessness and a sharp downward revision to August's numbers pointed to a cooling trend. Instead of the previously reported gain of 22,000 jobs in August, the government now says the economy lost 4,000.
