A recruiter speaks with job seekers at the Appalachian State University Internship and Job Fair on Wednesday, October 1, 2025 in Boone, North Carolina, USA.
Alison Joyce | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Wednesday that it will not release a complete U.S. employment report for October, following the longest federal government shutdown in the country’s history.
Instead, the agency said October payroll data will be released along with November’s full report. The unemployment rate for October is not included in these numbers because the data was “unable to be collected,” the BLS said, citing the government shutdown.
The agency also postponed the release of November employment statistics from December 5th to December 16th. The new announcement date comes six days after the Federal Reserve concluded its last policy meeting of the year, leaving the central bank with less information on economic conditions. The delayed September nonfarm payrolls report is scheduled to be released on Thursday.
Without complete data for October, and after recent hawkish comments from some Fed officials, traders may be pricing in a low chance of another rate cut.
As of noon Wednesday, CME Group’s FedWatch tool showed a 63.8% chance that the Fed would keep the overnight benchmark rate stable in the 3.75-4% range. This is up from about 50% the day before.
