Companies added 190,000 jobs to close out the summer, a number that was better than July’s downward-revised 177,000 and below the expected 201,000 new positions.
Professional and business services led the way with 29,000 new jobs, while trade, transportation and utilities added 28,000 and construction grew by 17,000. Overall, services were responsible for 173,000 of the total, with goods-producing contributing just 17,000.
The report tees the market up for Friday’s closely watched nonfarm payrolls report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.