Economy Adds 148,000 Jobs in September

Washington, DC, Oct. 22, 2013 -- The U.S. economy added 148,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate ticked down to 7.2%, according to a delayed report from the Labor Department.

Unemployment remains high but is near a five-year low and is down from 7.9 percent at the start of 2013.

The release of the September jobs report had been delayed 2½ weeks by the shutdown and the government shutdown will likely depress October's job figure.

The economy has added an average of 143,000 jobs a month from July through September, compared to the 182,000 average gain from April through June.