manufacturing

U.S. employers added 136,000 jobs in September — a sign of continued resilience in the labor market amid growing signals that the economy is losing steam. The jobless rate was the lowest since 1969.

The Labor Department says U.S. employers added 130,000 jobs in August, fewer than private analysts had expected. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%.

Manufacturing activity in the U.S. shrank last month for the first time in three years. Factories are especially sensitive to international forces, including the ongoing trade wars.

As the trade war drags on, more manufacturers are looking to relocate from China to avoid Trump's tariffs. A firm that sells Isaac Mizrahi's clothing line has already shifted much of its production.

Footwear companies face big costs in potential new tariffs on more Chinese imports. Almost all shoes sold in the U.S. are made overseas. Only about 200 factories remain. One man tried to change that.

The number of jobs added was well below the three-month average. Manufacturing, a key sector that is affected by trade tensions, showed weak growth. But the unemployment rate held steady, at 3.6%.

Employers added far more jobs than expected in April — another sign the U.S. economy is chugging along as the expansion nears the 10-year mark. The unemployment rate was the lowest since 1969.