U.S. gains 156,000 jobs in September as economy chugs on

The national economy chugged ahead with total non-farm payroll employment rising 156,000 in September, and the unemployment rate ticking up to 5 percent from 4.9 percent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Employment gains occurred in professional and business services and health care.

The strong economy continues to draw people into the workforce, with another tick up in the civilian labor participation rate, which stood at 62.9 percent of non-institutionalized adults working.

This story was originally published October 7, 2016 at 9:59 AM with the headline "U.S. gains 156,000 jobs in September as economy chugs on."