Payrolls in U.S. Rise Less Than Forecast

Employers in the U.S. added fewer workers to payrolls than projected in September, indicating the world’s largest economy had little momentum leading up to the federal government shutdown.

The addition of 148,000 workers followed a revised 193,000 gain in August that was larger than initially estimated, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median forecast of 93 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 180,000 advance. Unemployment fell to 7.2 percent, the lowest level since November 2008.