US: Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 134,000 in September vs. 185,000 expected

"The unemployment rate declined to 3.7 percent in September, and total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 134,000, " the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced on Friday.

Key takeaways from the official publication

• The unemployment rate declined by 0.2 percentage point to 3.7 percent in September, and the number of unemployed persons decreased by 270,000 to 6.0 million.
• In September, the labor force participation rate remained at 62.7 percent, and the employment-population ratio, at 60.4 percent, was little changed.
• The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons (sometimes referred to as involuntary part- time workers) increased by 263,000 to 4.6 million in September. 
• The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls remained unchanged at 34.5 hours in September. 
• In September, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 8 cents to $27.24.
• Over the year, average hourly earnings have increased by 73 cents, or 2.8 percent.