The US Labor Department released a delayed September jobs report showing employers added 119,000 jobs, the best gain since April 2025, but unemployment rose to 4.4%. Major firms like Verizon, GM, Amazon, and Microsoft announced significant layoffs due to tariffs, AI investment, and corporate restructuring. Federal Reserve officials, including Jerome Powell and Austan Goolsbee, noted the labor market's cautious hiring and firing environment amid data and inflation uncertainties.