Better late than never: The delayed September jobs report will be out next week

The Labor Department says it will release a key report on the September job market next Thursday, almost seven weeks behind schedule. The jobs report is one of many closely-watched economic indicators that were held up by the government shutdown.

The report — which details hiring, layoffs and the unemployment rate for September — was almost complete when the government economists who tally jobs were abruptly furloughed by the shutdown. Since the data was already in hand, the report should be relatively easy to publish next week.

The timing of other key economic reports is still up in the air. The government needs to conduct surveys and price checks before it can report on October's job gains and inflation rate. Reports on consumer spending and GDP are also overdue, leaving businesses, investors and policymakers looking for other clues about the strength or weakness of the U.S. economy.

Government number-crunchers say they will post an updated schedule for other releases as soon as possible. A note on the BLS website also thanks the public for its patience.

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