The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday reported that American employers hired 254,000 new workers in September.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate remained relatively unchanged at around 4 percent. Restaurants, the healthcare sector, construction firms, social services and the government led the hiring spree, the report said. September’s job number soared in comparison with the bureau’s other recent hiring reports.

What has hiring looked like recently? In June, American employers hired only 118,000 new workers, according to revised numbers released in August. Employers added 144,000 new workers in July and 159,000 workers in August, according to revised numbers in Friday’s report. September’s hiring numbers exceed the revised numbers for May’s hiring surge, as reported in July.

What does September’s hiring spike mean? The stock market rose on Friday morning in response to the jobs report, the Associated Press reported. The U.S. economy reclaimed its spot as the world’s top mover of markets on the strength of Friday morning’s surge, the AP report added.

This story originally appeared in WORLD. © 2024, reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.