Republicans won’t be happy with the final jobs report before the midterms. Job market growth was weaker than expected, adding fewer than half of the jobs economists had predicted. It was particularly bad for Black Americans, for whom the unemployment rate rose a whole percentage point to 7% – nearly double that of white Americans. Overall unemployment remains historically low relative to the post-war average. But today’s report won’t help Republicans make their case to the 61% of Americans who are unhappy with President Donald Trump’s handling of the economy before they head to the polls in November.
Hard Numbers
Unemployment on the up
Lottie Tellyn
By Lottie TellynOctober 02, 2026
Lottie Tellyn
Lottie is a reporter at GZERO, where she covers all things geopolitics for the website and daily newsletter. Before moving to the US, she reported for The Times and Sunday Times of London, writing about everything from sports and travel to foreign affairs and breaking news. Lottie has a bachelor’s in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University, and a master’s in journalism from Columbia University. Originally from Hampshire, England, she now lives in New York, where she can usually be found inviting far too many people round for dinner, out running in the park, and trying to remember to drive on the wrong side of the road.
