The Labor Department announced the nation’s economic recovery continued in September with the addition of 248,000 new jobs. It was the 55th consecutive month of private-sector job creation, during which time businesses have created 10.3 million jobs.

The Labor Department said unemployment rate fell to 5.9%, its lowest level since July 2008.

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez said, “Six years after the near-collapse of the U.S. economy, we have come a long, long way. The new foundation for growth is in place. The challenge now is to expand opportunity further, to help more people benefit from this recovery, and to ensure that prosperity is broadly shared.”

To view the full Labor Department news release, click here.