ECONOMY

States Report Divergent September 2025 Employment Outcomes

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Media Bias Meter

Sources: 6

Center 100%

Sources: 6

60-Second Summary

United States state employment reports released this week show mixed labor-market signals for September 2025. State labor departments reported varied unemployment rates—Connecticut 3.8%, Ohio 4.8%, Oregon 5.2%, Indiana 3.7%, Pennsylvania 4.1%, San Diego County 4.9%—and divergent payroll changes, with losses in leisure, manufacturing and health care in some areas and gains in government and education-health sectors. Several agencies cited federal data updates resuming after a temporary pause; officials attributed short-term fluctuations to federal policy shifts, sector-specific trends and labor-force participation changes. Federal and state departments collected and published official monthly employment data. Based on 6 articles reviewed and supporting research.

About this summary

This 60-second summary was prepared by the JQJO editorial team after reviewing 6 original reports from WTNH, Business Journal Daily | The Youngstown Publishing Company, KOIN 6 Portland, WBIW, GantNews.com and CBS 8 - San Diego News.

Timeline of Events

Earlier in October 2025, federal data publication resumed after a temporary operational pause.
State labor departments released preliminary September 2025 employment reports in early October 2025.
Reports showed mixed month-over and year-over changes: some states recorded payroll gains, others reported losses.
Officials cited sector-specific losses in leisure and manufacturing and gains in government and education-health sectors.
Analysts linked observed short-term variability to federal policy shifts, funding changes, and labor-force participation trends.

Media Bias

Articles Published:: 6
Right Leaning:: 0
Left Leaning:: 0
Neutral:: 6

Who Benefited

Government employers and the private education and health services sector recorded net payroll gains, benefiting those employers and employees in those industries.

Who Suffered

Workers in leisure and hospitality, manufacturing and some health-care subsectors experienced month-over losses or slower hiring across several states in September 2025.

Expert Opinion