Storms and Strike Will Complicate Last Jobs Report Before Fed Meeting, Election
- Projected 110,000 payrolls gain would be amid worst since 2020
- Job report’s two surveys measure employment in different ways
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Friday’s employment report is the last the Federal Reserve will see before its policy meeting next week. But the data will be tough to parse.
Flooding and power disruptions from Hurricanes Helene and Milton that crippled many business operations risk a hit to the October employment count. In addition, 44,000 workers, a majority at Boeing Co., were on strike as of Oct. 12 — a date that marks the survey week for the report — the Bureau of Labor Statistics said last week.