By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The U.S. economy added 148,000 jobs in September while the unemployment rate fell a notch to 7.2%, according to a government report that was postponed nearly three weeks by the federal shutdown. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected an increase of 185,000 jobs in September. Employment gains in August were revised up to 193,000 from 169,000, but July's gain was trimmed to 89,000 from 104,000 to mark the smallest increase since mid-2012, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The long-delayed report might not offer a lot of clues about labor-market trends, however, because of a government shutdown during the first half of October that undercut the confidence of consumers and may have caused businesses to hesitate before hiring. Job creation in September was strongest for professional and business services, construction, retail and transportation. Government also posted a second straight increase. Yet bars, restaurants and financial firms trimmed employment.
