Lack of jobs data due to government shutdown muddies the outlook for hiring and the economy

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — From Wall Street trading floors to the Federal Reserve to economists sipping coffee in their home offices, the first Friday morning of the month typically brings a quiet hush around 8:30 a.m. eastern as everyone awaits the Labor Department’s crucial monthly jobs report.

But with the government shut down, no information was released Friday about hiring in September.

It’s the first time since a government shutdown in 2013 that the jobs report has been delayed. During the 2018-2019 partial government closure, the Labor Department was one of several agencies that remained open because Congress had agreed to fund them. September’s jobs figures will be released eventually, once the shutdown ends.

The interruption in the data has occurred at a particularly uncertain time, when policymakers at the Federal Reserve and Wall Street investors would need more data on the economy, rather than less. Hiring has ground nearly to a halt, threatening to drag down the broader economy. Yet at the same time, consumers — particularly higher-income earners — are still spending and some businesses are ramping up investments in data centers developing artificial intelligence models. Whether that is enough to revive hiring remains to be seen.

For now, economists are turning to alternative measures of the job market provided by nonprofits and private-sector companies. Those measures mostly show a job market with little hiring, but not many layoffs, either. Those who have jobs appear to be mostly secure, while those looking for work are having a tougher time.

Payroll processor ADP, for example, said Wednesday that its estimate showed the economy had lost a surprising 32,000 private-sector jobs last month. Companies in the construction, manufacturing, and financial services industries all cut jobs, ADP found. Restaurants and hotels, and professional services such as accounting and engineering, also shed workers.

Popular Reads

Businesses in health care, private education, and information technology were the only sectors to add workers, ADP said.

“We’ve seen a significant decline in hiring momentum throughout the year,” said Nela Richardson, ADP’s chief economist. “This is consistent with a low hire — even a no-hire — and low fire economy.”

The shutdown has also meant the government isn’t releasing the weekly count of how many Americans have filed for unemployment benefits, a proxy for layoffs, which is published each Thursday.

But Goldman Sachs used data provided by most states to produce their own estimates of unemployment claims. In a report late Thursday, they calculated that weekly claims ticked up to 224,000, up from 218,000 the previous week. Those are historically low figures, which suggest companies are still holding onto most of their workers.

Read More

  • Related Posts

    Albanese government hits back after Donald Trump calls out Australia: ‘We don’t need you’

    Treasurer Jim Chalmers has pushed back at Donald Trump‘s tirade on social media in which he turned on allies including Australia after he claimed they rejected his plea for help…

    Albanese government backing pay rise for millions of Aussie workers to help with rising cost of living

    The Labor government has backed a pay rise  It would impact Aussies on minimum wage and award-reliant READ MORE: Huge push to raise the wages of millions of Aussie workers By…

    You Missed

    Horror as a woman is bitten by shark at Kurrajong Campground, Exmouth

    • By poster
    • April 10, 2026
    • 1 views
    Horror as a woman is bitten by shark at Kurrajong Campground, Exmouth

    Queen Mary and King Frederik touch down in Uluru for first public appearance of historic six-day Aussie tour

    • By poster
    • April 10, 2026
    • 1 views
    Queen Mary and King Frederik touch down in Uluru for first public appearance of historic six-day Aussie tour

    How I became an accidental war correspondent: DAVID PATRIKARAKOS on how disaster followed him from Ukraine’s frontlines to LA’s wildfires

    • By poster
    • April 10, 2026
    • 1 views
    How I became an accidental war correspondent: DAVID PATRIKARAKOS on how disaster followed him from Ukraine’s frontlines to LA’s wildfires

    Missile strikes inside US embassy compound in Baghdad as Trump’s Iran war spirals: Live Updates

    • By poster
    • April 10, 2026
    • 1 views
    Missile strikes inside US embassy compound in Baghdad as Trump’s Iran war spirals: Live Updates

    The Full Banksy! Chance to see recreation of all 200 colourful works by famous street artist for first time in display which has wowed millions

    • By poster
    • April 10, 2026
    • 1 views
    The Full Banksy! Chance to see recreation of all 200 colourful works by famous street artist for first time in display which has wowed millions

    Death of John Alford ‘not suspicious’ as London’s Burning star’s body found in jail weeks after being imprisoned for sexually abusing two young girls

    Death of John Alford ‘not suspicious’ as London’s Burning star’s body found in jail weeks after being imprisoned for sexually abusing two young girls