Shutdown Halts September Jobs Report, ADP Shows Job Losses
A government shutdown furloughed Labor Department staff and paused the official September jobs report, leaving markets "flying blind" on hiring while ADP's private payrolls showed job losses. Economists had been expecting only modest payroll gains (around 50,000) after weak prior months, and say the delay amplifies uncertainty about the labor market's direction.
Economy
Politics
Government/Policy
🔍 Key Facts
- Labor Department 'number crunchers' were furloughed, triggering a delay to the September jobs report and prompting a site notice that halted updates.
- The government shutdown has already delayed the jobs report and could hold up other critical economic reports.
- Published economists' consensus expectation for September payrolls was roughly 50,000 jobs.
- That expectation was presented alongside recent context: August payrolls rose by about 22,000 and the year‑ago month showed roughly a 240,000 gain.
- On‑the‑record comments from economists Allison Shrivastava, Daniel Zhao, and Betsey Stevenson highlighted market uncertainty and changing hiring dynamics.
📍 Contextual Background
- The United States federal government entered a partial shutdown on 2025-10-01 after the midnight funding deadline passed with Democrats and Republicans failing to agree on a funding bill.
📰 Sources (2)
Shutdown has already delayed the jobs report. More critical reports could be held up
New information:
- Explicit attribution that Labor Department 'number crunchers' were furloughed, causing the delay and a site notice halting updates.
- Published economists' expectations for September payrolls (~50,000) and context comparing prior months (+22,000) and year-ago (+240,000).
- On-the-record quotes from multiple named economists (Allison Shrivastava, Daniel Zhao, Betsey Stevenson) describing market uncertainty and hiring dynamics.