US hiring slows and unemployment ticks higher

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a disappointing 29,000 jobs and the unemployment rate ticked up last month, according to new data, a month before voters go to the polls in pivotal midterm elections at a time of discontent over the high cost of living and the state of the economy. The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring dropped from a revised 133,000 in August. The unemployment rate rose to a still-low 4.2% from 4.1% in August. Economists had expected 90,000 new jobs.