US employers added 165,000 jobs in October, far above the roughly 65,000 economists expected, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% from 4.2%, the Labor Department reported on Friday. Payrolls for August and September were revised up to 186,000 and 60,000.
Healthcare and social assistance added about 55,000 jobs, the most in six months. Underneath the strong headline, the broader U-6 underemployment rate rose to 7.9% from 7.6%, and 27.6% of jobless workers had been out of work for 27 weeks or more, the highest share since late 2021.
The report points to a labor market stronger than forecast, though long-term unemployment is a weak spot.