Macroeconomic Indicators & Trends

October 02, 2026

Why Weak Payrolls Are No Longer Weak

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Torsten Slok

Partner, Chief Economist

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Breakeven job growth has collapsed from 200,000 per month to close to zero today, driven by a sharp drop in immigration shrinking labor force growth and continued baby boomer retirements pulling down participation. That means the consensus expectation of 90,000 jobs created in September is not a soft print but a solid one, comfortably above breakeven and consistent with a strong economy and a falling unemployment rate.

The bottom line is that with a strong labor market and inflation still significantly above the Fed's 2% target, rates will continue to stay higher for longer.

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