US September non-farm payrolls up 51,000, fewest since Oct 2005

US employers added fewer jobs last month than in any month since last October, the Labor Department said Friday. There were 51,000 new jobs created in September, far fewer than the 120,000 new jobs economists had expected. However, the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 pct from a revised 4.7 pct in August. In August, the number of jobs added was revised to 188,000 from the original estimate of 128,000. Average hourly wages rose 0.2 pct in September, in line with expectations. Still, average hourly earnings have risen 4.0 pct in the past year. That's the same annual rate as August. The last time average hourly earnings have risen faster over 12 months was in the year prior to March 2001, when they rose 4.1 pct. The average workweek remained at 33.8 hours in September.