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The United States has reportedly added just 148,000 jobs in September, taking the unemployment rate to a record five-year low.
The Labor Department said the employment rate fell to 7.2 per cent from 7.3 per cent in August, News.com.au reports.
According to the report, it suggested that employers stopped hiring before the 16-day partial government shutdown that began on October 1.
The economy has added an average of 143,000 jobs a month from July through September, down from 182,000 from April through June, the report added.
Economists have speculated that temporary layoffs of federal workers and private government contractors will probably lower October's job gains, but it will be just a temporary decline.
