The U.S. added just 12,000 jobs in October, the lowest increase since December 2020. Labor strikes and hurricanes disrupted growth, while unemployment held steady at 4.1%. Experts caution that underlying job market resilience may have been obscured. Manufacturing suffered major losses due to strikes at Boeing. The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring these developments ahead of a potential interest rate cut. Former President Trump's campaign critiqued the current administration regarding the weak job data, as the economic outlook remains a focal point just before the presidential election.