In this Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, photo, Phil Wiggett, right, a recruiter with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, looks at a resume during a job fair in San Jose, Calif. On Friday, Oct. 6, 2017,... (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, photo, Phil Wiggett, right, a recruiter with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, looks at a resume during a job fair in San Jose, Calif. On Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, the U.S. government issues the September jobs report. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Associated Press) 
 
 In this Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, photo, Phil Wiggett, right, a recruiter with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, looks at a resume during a job fair in San Jose, Calif. On Friday, Oct. 6, 2017, the U.S. government issues the September jobs report. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez) (Associated Press) In this Thursday, Aug. 24, 2017, photo, Phil Wiggett, right, a recruiter with the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, looks at a resume during a job fair in San Jose, Calif. On Friday, Oct. 6, 2017,... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. shed 33,000 jobs in September because of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which closed thousands of businesses in Texas and Florida and forced widespread evacuations. It was the first decline in nearly seven years. 
 
 The unemployment rate fell to 4.2 percent from 4.4 percent, the Labor Department said Friday, the lowest level since February 2001. 
 
 Looking past the hurricanes' impact, the job market and economy generally look healthy. Job growth is likely to rebound in the coming months as businesses in the area reopen and construction companies ramp up repair and renovation work. 
 
 Last month's drop was driven by huge losses in restaurants and bars, which shed 105,000 jobs, a sign of the damage to Florida's tourism industry. 
 
 Roughly 1.5 million people were unable to work last month because of the weather, the government said, the most in 20 years. 
 
 Hourly workers who couldn't work and missed a paycheck were counted as not working, which lowered September's job totals. That's true even if those employees returned to work after the storm passed. 
 
 The unemployment rate fell because it is calculated with a separate survey of households. That survey counted people as employed even if they were temporarily off work because of the storms. 
 
 As a result, the drop in the jobless rate is a sign the job market improved outside hurricane-hit areas. The proportion of adults with jobs rose to 60.4 percent, the highest since January 2009. 
 
 Average hourly wages rose 2.9 percent from a year earlier, a solid gain. But the government said that figure was artificially inflated by the loss of so many lower-paid workers in hurricane-hit areas. 
 
 More than 11 million people had been employed in the 87 counties in Texas and Florida that were declared disaster areas, the government says. That's equal to about 7.7 percent of the nation's workforce. 
 
 Other recent indicators point to a solid economy and job market. 
 
 On Wednesday, a survey of services firms — covering restaurants, construction companies, retail stores, banks and others — found that they expanded in September at their fastest monthly pace since 2005. That followed a survey of manufacturers, which found an equally strong gain. Factory activity expanded at the fastest pace in more than 13 years. 
 
 There are signs that a rebound from the hurricanes is already boosting the economy. Auto sales, which had been lackluster this year, jumped 6.1 percent to more than 1.5 million in September from a year ago, according to Autodata Corp., as Americans began to replace cars destroyed by the storms. That increase in purchases should soon lead automakers to step up production. 
 
 Harvey caused about $76 billion to $87 billion in economic losses, according to Moody's Analytics, an economic consulting firm. The estimate includes damage to homes and businesses as well as lost business and economic output. That calculation would make Harvey the second-worst U.S. natural disaster, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. 
 
 Irma will likely end up having caused $58 billion to $83 billion in economic losses, Moody's forecasts. Maria, which hammered Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, could cost $45 billion to $95 billion, though that is a preliminary estimate. 
 
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 This story has been corrected to show that September's job losses figure was the first decline in nearly seven years. ||||| The unemployment rate remained at 3.7%, a 49-year low. Hispanic unemployment reached its lowest rate ever, at 4.4%. 
 
 Wages grew 3.1%, relatively robust growth after years of stagnant paychecks. 
 
 The numbers give President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans a positive talking point as they head into the midterm elections next Tuesday, even amidst turmoil on the major stock exchanges over the past few weeks. During a brief appearance before heading to a rally in West Virginia, Trump said the 250,000 figure was "shocking for a lot of people." 
 
 "That was a tremendous number by any standards," Trump said. "And that's despite the hurricanes. I'm sure these hurricanes, they were massive. They had a big impact." 
 
 The Bureau of Labor Statistics said last month that Hurricane Florence may have depressed job growth, but that Hurricane Michael in the Florida panhandle had "no discernible effect." 
 
 Trump, also cheered the report on Twitter Friday morning. 
 
 Wow! The U.S. added 250,000 Jobs in October - and this was despite the hurricanes. Unemployment at 3.7%. Wages UP! These are incredible numbers. Keep it going, Vote Republican! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 2, 2018 
 
 "Clearly there's some concern in financial markets, but this report just tells you that the labor market is just shrugging that off for now," said Josh Wright, chief economist for the recruiting platform iCIMS. "Even if some corporations are concerned about the medium-term outlook, in the very near term they're really focused on bringing in fresh talent to capitalize on the economy for as long as it lasts." 
 
 Although voters see the economy as one of the top issues that will determine who they favor for in the midterm elections, according to Pew Research , analyses of past midterms show that partisan views tend to overwhelm the objective performance of the labor market. 
 
 The jobs news will almost certainly overwhelm another piece of economic news released Friday — the trade deficit in goods and services, which widened in September as imports rose more than exports. Year to date, the deficit is now 10.1% larger in 2018 than it was over the same period in 2017. 
 
 The year-over-year percentage growth in average hourly earnings looks slightly larger than it actually is because wages declined last October as low-wage workers returned to their jobs following a particularly strong hurricane season. But economists said it's still encouraging, as the pay increase remains well above the inflation rate, meaning that workers' pay is actually raising their standard of living. 
 
 Some of the strong payrolls growth came from a slight downward revision to September's number, but overall it lifts the average over the past 12 months to 211,000. 
 
 The continued pace of job growth is unusual at this point in an economic recovery, and shows that there are still enough workers coming off the sidelines as opportunities improve to supply at least a portion of businesses' labor needs. The civilian labor force participation rate for workers between ages 25 and 54, which measures the percentage of the population that is working or looking for work, jumped to its highest level since May 2010. 
 
 Most of the net new jobs came from health care, construction, and manufacturing, which has added 296,000 jobs over the past year. Although the purchasing managers index for manufacturing fell in October to the lowest level since April, indicating slowing demand, the employment report is an an indication that tariffs on imported aluminum and steel haven't negatively impacted hiring in factories thus far. 
 
 Retail hiring showed no growth on a seasonally adjusted basis. 
 
 The strong numbers should reassure Federal Reserve officials that they're clear to keep raising interest rates, as they approach the "neutral" rate at which monetary policy is pressing neither the accelerator or the brake on economic growth. 
 
 The question remains, however, whether the Fed will stop there — or keep hiking, in order to cool things down. ||||| CLOSE Skip in Skip x Embed x Share Less than 100,000 jobs were made in March, despite predictions that the number would be nearly twice that. Amanda Kabbabe (@kabbaber) has more. Buzz60 
 
 Hiring was surprisingly strong in January and February. (Photo: Charles Krupa, AP) 
 
 Harsh winter weather slowed U.S. hiring last month as employers added 98.000 jobs in a pullback that was sharper than expected. 
 
 Economists surveyed by Bloomberg had projected an increase of 180,000 jobs. 
 
 The U.S. unemployment rate, which is calculated from a different survey, fell from 4.7% to 4.5%, lowest since May 2007. . 
 
 Analysts had expected somewhat of a retreat in job growth after unseasonably mild winter temperatures pulled forward hiring to early in the year, especially in industries such as construction. That trend resulted in job gains of 200,000-plus in January and February. Along with that, a snowstorm that slammed into the Midwest and East Coast in mid-March likely curtailed job growth even more, said Jim O’Sullivan, an economist with High Frequency Economics.. 
 
 Before the report from the Labor Department was released on Friday, Goldman Sachs had estimated the weather could drag down payroll gains by 30,000 to 60,000. 
 
 Some economists also have said the outsize job gains early this year defied a low unemployment rate, which means businesses face a shrinking pool of available workers. Many analysts expect that trend will result in average monthly payroll gains of about 170,000 this year, down from 187,000 last year and 226,000 in 2015. 
 
 The feeble showing in March likely reflects the weather, a late Easter that could have pushed holiday hiring to April from March and a tight labor market, said Gus Faucher, an economist with PNC Financial Services Group. 
 
 “It is getting tougher for businesses to hire workers,” he said. 
 
 The construction industry added just 6,000 jobs last month, while retailers were especially hard-hit by the weather, as well as store closing by chains such as Sears and Macy's, losing 30,000. Leisure and hospitality added 9,000 jobs, and health care grew by 17,000. Professional and business services was unscathed by the weather, adding 56,000 jobs. 
 
 The Federal Reserve is looking for steady employment gains to justify its plans for two more rate hikes this year. The Fed has raised its benchmark rate twice since December. Still, economist Paul Ashworth of Capital Economics wrote to clients that Friday's weak report "isn't going to stop the Fed from hiking interest rates again in June." 
 
 In March, businesses added 89,000 jobs. Federal, state and local governments added 9,000. 
 
 Job gains for January and February were revised down by 38,000. January’s was revised to 216,000 from 235,000, and February’s to 219,000 from 238,000. 
 
 Average hourly wages rose 5 cents to $26.14, but annual gains slipped to 2.7% from 2.8% the prior month. Earnings generally have picked up the past year or so from the tepid 2% pace that prevailed for most of the recovery. But the Fed is looking for a further acceleration and faster inflation to bolster its rate hike plan. Employers are expected to lift wages to attract the smaller pool of workers. 
 
 Some other reports seemed to signal continued strong hiring in March. Payroll processor ADP estimated that businesses added a booming 298,000 jobs. And an index of hiring in manufacturing climbed to its highest level in nearly six years. 
 
 At the same time, a measure of hiring in the service sector, which makes up about 80% of the economy, fell sharply. And initial jobless claims, a barometer of layoffs, rose steadily through the month. 
 
 Strong employment gains and a falling unemployment rate from March through May could convince the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates again in June, following two hikes since December. 
 
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– The new jobs report is a case of good news/bad news. The US lost 33,000 jobs in September after Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit Texas, Florida, and other Southeastern states, which the AP reports is the first decline in almost seven years. However, the Labor Department says the unemployment rate fell to 4.2% from 4.4%, the lowest level since February 2001. So what's going on? "Friday's report overall sent conflicting signals about the labor market, in part because it's based on separate surveys—one of employers, the other of households—that don’t always align precisely in any given month [but] typically point in the same direction over the longer term," explains the Wall Street Journal. Looking past the hurricanes' impact, the job market and economy generally look healthy, per the AP. Some economists expect job growth to rebound in the coming months as businesses in the area reopen and construction companies ramp up repair and renovation work. "People will write off the weak number because of the hurricanes," one economist tells the New York Times. "The underlying trend is still pretty strong." One good sign was that average hourly earnings, an important barometer, rose nearly 0.5%, though the Journal notes that if the hurricanes temporarily wiped out a lot of minimum wage jobs in the services industry, that would drive the overall number up. Next month will be a truer test.