U.S. adds 254,000 jobs in September, higher than 12-month average

WASHINGTON, Oct. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. employers added 254,000 jobs in September, as unemployment rate edged down to 4.1 percent, signaling that the labor market remains steady, the U.S. Labor Department reported Friday.

Employment continued to trend up in food services and drinking places, health care, government, social assistance, and construction, according to the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics.