JOSH BOAK and BANI SAPRA
AP Economics Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a solid 128,000 jobs in October, a figure that was held down by a now-settled strike against General Motors that caused tens of thousands of workers to be temporarily counted as unemployed.
The unemployment rate ticked up from 3.5% to 3.6%, still near a five-decade low. And for a second straight month, average hourly wages rose a decent if less-than-robust 3% from a year ago.
The government also revised up its estimate of job growth for August and September by a combined 95,000, suggesting a healthier employment market than many had thought.
All told, Friday's October employment report from the government pointed to a still-sturdy job market that remains a vital source of strength for a U.S. econom
