The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 7.9 percent last month as the economy added 171,000 jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.
The labor force participation rate remained at the near historically low level of 63.8 percent.
The unemployment rate among African Americans jumped nearly a full point to 14.3 percent.
In 2009, the White House predicted unemployment would 5.2 percent in October 2012.
A rising unemployment rate is not generally considered an indicator of economic strength.
