Chico Harlan is reporting in the Washington Post new government data released Fri., Oct. 7, indicated U.S. companies have helped the economy add 156,000 new jobs in the month of September. However, the unemployment rate rose from 4.9 percent to 5 percent, largely because the labor force grew with the addition of new would-be workers. The Labor Department also revised its estimates for job creation in July and August and the combined total fell by 7,000 jobs. The nation has added 178,000 new jobs in a typical month this year, approximately double the number necessary to keep pace with population growth. Read the full story in the Washington Post.