Great news on job growth strengthens Dems’ pre-election pitchIE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.Skip to ContentMSNBC LogoLatestRachel MaddowMorning JoeInside with Jen PsakiDeadline: Legal BlogRACHEL MADDOW PRESENTS: ULTRATrump on Trial The ReidOut BlogTrump Documents LibraryColumnistsMSNBC FilmsTrump Transition Share this —SearchSearchFeatured ShowsThe Rachel Maddow ShowMondays 9PM ETMorning JoeWeekdays 6am ETDeadline: White House with Nicolle WallaceWeekdays 4PM ETThe Beat with Ari MelberWeeknights 6PM ETThe ReidOut with Joy ReidWeeknights 7PM ETAll In with Chris HayesTUESDAY-FRIDAY 8PM ETThe Last Word with Lawrence O’DonnellWeeknights 10PM ETThe 11th Hour with Stephanie RuhleWeeknights 11PM ETAlex Wagner TonightTuesday-Friday 9PM ETMSNBC TVWatch LiveListen LiveMoreMSNBC Live EventsMSNBC on PeacockMSNBC ColumnistsTV ScheduleMSNBC NewslettersPodcastsTranscriptsMSNBC Insights CommunityMSNBC StoreHelpTrump Trials Documents LibraryFollow msnbcMore BrandsToday LogoNBC News LogoMore ShowsWay Too EarlyAna Cabrera ReportsJosé Díaz-Balart ReportsChris Jansing ReportsKaty Tur ReportsSymoneThe Katie Phang ShowVelshiInside with Jen PsakiWeekends with Jonathan CapehartAlex Witt ReportsPoliticsNationAymanSearchSearchFacebookTwitterEmailSMSPrintWhatsappRedditPocketFlipboardPinterestLinkedinMaddowBlogFrom The Rachel Maddow ShowALL MADDOWBLOG POSTSTHE RACHEL MADDOW SHOWFULL EPISODESPODCASTSRACHEL ON BLUESKYPrevious PostNext PostGreat news on job growth strengthens Dems’ pre-election pitchAs Election Day 2024 approaches, Republicans desperately want voters to believe the economy is terrible. Reality keeps getting in the way.By Steve BenenExpectations heading into this week showed projections of about 150,000 new jobs having been added in the United States in September. As it turns out, according to the new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job market fared quite a bit better than that. NBC News reported:The U.S. added 254,000 jobs in September, far exceeding expectations, while the unemployment rate fell from 4.2% in August to 4.1%. Forecasts were for 150,000 new jobs added last month, compared to a revised 159,000 in August. The unemployment rate was expected to be unchanged from August.”In addition to the encouraging top-line data, the same Labor Department report showed that wage growth continued to outpace inflation.This is not the final jobs report before Election Day — that will be released the morning of Nov. 1, five days before voters go to the polls — but the new data will help drive the public conversation about the economy in the race’s final weeks.The encouraging job numbers also come the week after a surprisingly good report on U.S. economic growth, which led White House National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard to note in a written statement, “We learned this morning that the economy has grown by 3.2% per year during Biden-Harris Administration — even stronger than previously estimated — and better than the first three years of the previous administration.”As the 2024 election cycle nears its end, Republicans desperately want voters to believe the economy is terrible. Reality, however, keeps getting in the way of GOP talking points.Let’s also circle back to previous coverage to put the data in perspective. Over the course of the first three years of Donald Trump’s presidency — when the Republican said the U.S. economy was the greatest in the history of the planet — the economy created roughly 6.38 million jobs, spanning all of 2017, 2018 and 2019.According to the latest tally, the U.S. economy has created over 16.5 million jobs since January 2021 — more than double the combined total of Trump’s first three years. (If we include the fourth year of the Republican's term, the data looks even worse for him.)For some additional context, consider job growth by year over the past decade, updated to reflect the latest data revisions:2013: 2.3 million2014: 3 million2015: 2.7 million2016: 2.3 million2017: 2.1 million2018: 2.3 million2019: 1.98 million2020: -9.3 million2021: 7.2 million2022: 4.5 million2023: 3 millionNine months into 2024: 1.8 millionThis post updates our related earlier coverage.Steve BenenSteve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MSNBC political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."Previous PostOn politicizing disaster aid, Trump reportedly did what he’s accused Biden of doingNext PostWhy the race for control of the U.S. Senate is intensifyingLatest PostTrump-appointed prosecutor kicks off ‘Operation Whirlwind,’ eyes SchumerAboutContactHelpCareersMSNBC StoreAD ChoicesPrivacy PolicyDo Not Sell My Personal InformationCA NoticeTerms of Service (Updated JULY 7, 2023)MSNBC SitemapClosed CaptioningAdvertiseJoin the MSNBC Community© 2025 MSNBC Cable, L.L.C.NBC News LogoMSNBC LogoToday Logo
It’s not that it’s getting in the way, it’s that it simply doesn’t matter.