U.S. Labor Market Shows Signs of Weakness Amid AI and Trade Policies

The US labor market is showing signs of weakness, despite a recent surge in nonfarm employment growth. The unemployment rate rose to 4.4% in September, up from 4.3% the previous month. This increase, accompanied by an upwardly revised job growth figure of 119,000 for September, suggests potential economic slowdown. Economists anticipate that only around 30,000 to 50,000 new jobs are needed per month to accommodate population growth, a significantly lower figure than past years.