Unemployment Ticks Up Again in September

Washington, DC, Oct. 2, 2009--The U.S. employment rolls weakened in September as 263,000 payroll jobs were lost and the unemployment rate rose to a 26-year high of 9.8%, the Labor Department reported.

It was the 21st consecutive month of job losses. Since the recession began in December 2007, 7.2 million jobs have been lost.

Details of the report were almost universally dismal, with the number of unemployed rising by 214,000 to 15.1 million.

An alternative gauge of unemployment, which includes discouraged workers and those forced to work part-time, rose to 17%.