The United States added just 29,000 jobs in September, far below expectations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics released the report on Friday. Economists had forecast 84,000 to 90,000 new jobs.

The unemployment rate rose to 4.2 per cent from 4.1 per cent in August. The weak report shows the labour market is cooling faster than expected.

Revisions to earlier months painted a weaker picture. July was revised from a gain of 21,000 to a loss of 10,000 jobs. August was revised down from 162,000 to 133,000. The combined revisions removed 60,000 jobs from the earlier estimates.

Healthcare added 17,000 jobs, while construction added 11,000 and manufacturing added 9,000. The information sector lost 10,000 jobs, and government employment fell by 17,000. Average hourly earnings rose 0.1 per cent in the month and 3.0 per cent over the year.

The labour force participation rate stood at 61.8 per cent. The employment-population ratio was 59.2 per cent.

The report is the last major jobs snapshot before the November midterm elections. Markets now see an 85 per cent chance that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady at its October 27-28 meeting. The weak data adds pressure on policymakers ahead of the election.