Unemployment Rate Holds at 9.6%; Payrolls Rise

The U.S. unemployment rate was unchanged at 9.6% in October, while the number of jobs grew at the highest pace in five months and trucking jobs taking a slight upturn, the Labor Department said Friday.

Trucking employment rose by 300 jobs, holding at about 1.24 million, according to Labor figures.

Private payrolls rose by 159,000 — the biggest gain since April and more than the 80,000 increase that was forecast by economists, Bloomberg reported.

Overall payroll numbers including government employment grew by 151,000, the highest since April and higher than the 60,000 forecast.

Government payrolls fell by 8,000, led by a 7,000 drop in state and local government jobs. The federal government accounted for the other 1,000.