Job growth slowed and wages rose in September

The U.S. economy added 194,000 jobs last month as the Delta variant and a tight labor market continued to influence job hunting and hiring across the country. The national unemployment rate fell to 4.8 percent, still below the 3.5 percent prior to the pandemic, and the average hourly pay for private sector workers increased 4.3 percent. The biggest reason that people give for not working is fear of catching COVID-19 on the job, according to an August survey by Indeed.