Hiring Slows Nationally as Mass. Holds at 4.3%: What Job Seekers Can Do Now

The job market is still growing, but slowly. U.S. employers added just 29,000 jobs in September, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate was 4.2 percent. BLS also revised earlier figures down: July now shows a loss of 10,000 jobs, and the July and August totals together came in 60,000 below earlier estimates.

The numbers

Health care, construction and manufacturing led national gains. In Massachusetts, the state labor office reported job gains in financial activities, professional and business services, and trade and transportation. State labor force participation rose to 65.4 percent.

More than a quarter of unemployed Americans have been looking for work for at least six months, so it can pay to get help early.

Where to get help

Massachusetts runs more than 25 MassHire Career Centers, including MassHire Downtown Boston at 75 Federal St. and MassHire Boston ABCD in Roxbury. They offer:

• Job search and career planning help
• Workshops on resumes and interviews
• Information on training and education
• Local labor market data

Job seekers can also build a profile on the state's MassHire JobQuest site and look for hiring events. The next national report comes out Nov. 6, and October figures for Massachusetts follow on Nov. 20.