By Ovunc Kutlu
ISTANBUL (AA) - The US economy added only 12,000 jobs in October, much less than market estimates, according to figures released Friday by the Labor Department.
The market expectation for nonfarm payrolls last month was a gain of 106,000 jobs.
Job additions for September were revised down by 31,000, from 254,000 to 223,000.
The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.1% in September, and came in line with market estimates.
The number of unemployed people was 6.4 million in October, while the labor force participation rate remained unchanged at 62.6% during that period.
The new figures come just days before next Tuesday's US presidential and congressional elections, with the economy a major issue for most voters.