Hiring stagnant in September, poll finds

“Job market conditions are better now than they were at this time a year ago, when 24 percent of companies were hiring and 24 percent were letting employees go,” Gallup states. “They are still, however, far worse than in September 2008, as the first year of the recession was underway, when 35 percent of companies were hiring while 19 percent were letting workers go.”

The status of employment has historically been a lagging indicator for determining the strength of the economy, meaning robust job creation usually occurs after confidence returns to the marketplace. 

The Gallup poll comes as analysts expect the Labor Department on Friday to announce a slight uptick in unemployment, from 9.6 percent in August to 9.7 percent in September.