The US economy is expected to have added 90K jobs in September 2026, following a stronger-than-expected gain of 162K in August. The private sector is forecast to have accounted for 85K of the increase. Employment growth is expected to moderate in leisure and hospitality and local government education, while manufacturing payrolls are projected to post strong gains, as well as construction, partly reflecting continued investment in data centers to support AI. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate is expected to have remained unchanged at 4.1%, hovering near a one-year low. Average hourly earnings are projected to have increased 0.3% from the previous month and 3.2% from a year earlier, marking a modest acceleration from the 3.1% annual increase recorded in August, which was the weakest pace since May 2021. Overall, the report is expected to point to a relatively stable labor market.