And the new results — that the unemployment rate ticked up to 5 percent as the nation added 156,000 jobs in September — point to an economy that is on a steady course. Consider that the 5 percent September unemployment rate is the second lowest in the September before an election in nearly five decades. Unemployment and Elections: The Recent Track Record The September jobless rate is the second lowest at this point in a presidential election cycle in recent decades. In other words, the evidence we see in things like the new jobs report, that unemployment is low and wages are rising — fits what people see in their own lives. Because Election Day falls on the late end this year, there will be one more jobs report the Friday before the Nov. 8 voting, along with a second-quarter G.D.P.

Source: New York Times October 07, 2016 13:25 UTC