U.S. employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday, a figure far below what economists had projected and one that lands hardest on men, whose employment level has fallen by roughly 1.2 million over the past year on a seasonally adjusted basis.
Men accounted for slightly more than half of September's net job growth, according to a CNBC analysis of the BLS data. That marks a reversal from a month earlier, when men's share of new jobs was weaker. The monthly gain, however, does little to close the larger gap: the seasonally adjusted number of employed men in September was down about 1.2 million compared with the same month a year ago.
The 29,000-job headline figure is a sharp slowdown from the monthly average of recent years, when payroll growth routinely topped 150,000. Economists had expected a stronger September, and the miss suggests hiring has cooled across sectors that have historically employed large numbers of men, including construction, manufacturing, and transportation.
The year-over-year decline in male employment is not a one-month anomaly. It reflects a longer-running pattern in which men have been slower to recover jobs lost during periods of economic softening, while women have posted steadier gains in health care, education, and hospitality — sectors that have driven much of the recent job creation.
Labor force participation among prime-age men, those between 25 and 54, has been trending downward for decades, from about 97% in the 1950s to roughly 89% today. The September data adds to that long-term erosion rather than reversing it.
The BLS report also showed that the unemployment rate held relatively steady, but the weak payroll number complicates the picture for Federal Reserve policymakers weighing whether to adjust interest rates at their next meeting. A labor market adding fewer than 30,000 jobs per month is generally considered below the threshold needed to absorb new entrants into the workforce.
For men without a college degree, the slowdown is particularly acute. Job openings in goods-producing industries have declined from their post-pandemic peak, and employers in those fields have pulled back on hiring as borrowing costs remain elevated.
The full September employment report, including sector-level breakdowns and wage data, is scheduled for release by the BLS later this month.
