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Jobless rate falls to 7.2 percent

The U.S. economy added just 148,000 jobs in September, suggesting that employers held back on hiring before a 16-day partial government shutdown began Oct. 1.

By Christopher S. Rugaber | Updated on October 22, 2013
Visitors use the Unemployment Insurance phone bank the California Employment Development Department office in Sacramento, Calif., Friday, Sept. 20, 2013. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy added just 148,000 jobs in September, suggesting that employers held back on hiring before a 16-day partial government shutdown began Oct. 1.

Still, hiring last month was enough to lower the unemployment rate. The Labor Department said Tuesday that the rate fell to 7.2 percent from 7.3 percent in August. Unemployment remains historically high but is near a five-year low and is down from 7.9 percent at the start of 2013.

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