WASHINGTON (AP) -- U.S. employers added 248,000 jobs in September, a burst of hiring that helped drive down the unemployment rate to 5.9 percent, the lowest since July 2008.<br />
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The Labor Department report Friday also showed that employers added a combined 69,000 more jobs in July and August than the government had previously estimated.<br />
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The unemployment rate fell from 6.1 percent in August and is now close to 5.5 percent, which many economists consider a healthy level. The lower rate, combined with the surge in hiring, could ratchet up pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise its benchmark interest rate earlier than expected. Most economists have predicted that the Fed would start raising rates in mid-2015.<br />
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The improved figures come after President Barack Obama touted his administration's economic achievements in a speech Thursday. The economy is the top issue in voters' minds as the November elections near.<br />
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The number of unemployed fell in September by 329,000 to 9.3 million. Most of them found jobs. But nearly 100,000 stopped looking for work. Their exodus lowered the percentage of Americans working or looking for work to 62.7 percent, the lowest proportion since February 1978.<br />
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The job gains were broad-based and included many higher-paying industries. Professional and business services, which includes engineers, accountants and architects, added 81,000 jobs, the most in seven months. Construction companies added 16,000 jobs, manufacturing 4,000.
