As anticipation builds for the September jobs report, economic analysts are closely monitoring signs that the labor market is in a state of cooling in 2024, though not at a rate severe enough to suggest imminent interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve. The report, set to be unveiled at 8:30 a.m. ET on Friday, is projected to reveal an increase of 150,000 nonfarm payrolls for September, with the unemployment rate expected to remain stable at 4.2%, based on consensus from Bloomberg.

In a comparison, the previous month saw the economy add 142,000 jobs, with the unemployment rate dropping from a surprising uptick to 4.3% in July. Here’s a quick look at the key figures Wall Street will analyze in this important report:

Key Figures

- Nonfarm payrolls: +150,000 (compared to +142,000 the previous month) - Unemployment rate: 4.2% (unchanged) - Average hourly earnings (month-over-month): +0.3% (down from +0.4% previously) - Average hourly earnings (year-over-year): +3.8% (steady) - Average weekly hours worked: 34.3 (unchanged)