Platypus Economics with Justin Wolfers

What September's Employment Numbers Really Say | Diving In

October 2, 2026·18 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

The September jobs report landed with a thud: just 29,000 jobs created, well short of the 80,000–90,000 forecasters expected, with July and August both revised down and unemployment ticking up to 4.2%. In this episode of Diving In, Justin Wolfers walks you through why those numbers are disappointing by historical standards — yet why unemployment can still stay low and stable at the same time.Then there's your paycheck. Wage growth has slumped to around 3% — slower than prices — so if you feel like you can't keep up, you're not imagining it. Justin explains what weak wages mean for the Fed, why a rate hike now looks more likely in December than October, and why Wall Street shrugged.Subscribe:on YouTube 👉 https://youtube.com/platypuseconomicson Substack 👉 https://newsletter.platypuseconomics.comthe Podcast 👉 https://platypuseconomics.com/podcastFollow on Social Media @PlatypusEconomics and @JustinWolfers

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