WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. hiring slowed sharply last month and previous job gains were revised lower amid a broad slowdown in the global economy.
The Labor Department says employers added just 142,000 jobs in September as manufacturers and oil drillers shed workers. Hiring in July and August was revised lower by 59,000.
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The unemployment rate remained 5.1 percent, but only because more Americans stopped looking for work. The proportion of Americans working or searching for jobs fell to a new 38-year low.
Average hourly wages also slipped by a penny and have risen a tepid 2.2 percent in the past year.
U.S. consumers are spending at a healthy pace, boosting job gains in sectors like retail and hotels and restaurants. But lackluster growth overseas has sharply reduced exports of factory goods.
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