Pre-Election Jobs Report: Increased Hiring, 7.9% Unemployed

By Jason Lange


WASHINGTON -- U.S. employers stepped up hiring in October and the jobless rate ticked higher as more workers restarted job hunts, a hopeful sign for a lackluster economy that has dragged on President Barack Obama's re-election chances.

Employers added 171,000 workers to their payrolls last month, the Labor Department said on Friday. The government also said that 84,000 more jobs were created in August and September than initially estimated.