WASHINGTON (AP) -

loading...

The Labor Department says employers added 114,000 jobs in September. The economy also created 86,000 more jobs in July and August than first estimated. Wages rose in September and more people started looking for work.

The revisions show employers added 146,000 jobs per month from July through September, up from 67,000 in the previous three months. The unemployment rate fell from 8.1 percent in August, matching its level in January 2009 when President Barack Obama took office.

The decline could help Obama, who is coming off a disappointing debate against Mitt Romney.

Meanwhile, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney says a drop in the nation's unemployment rate to 7.8 percent "is not what a real recovery looks like."

The former Massachusetts governor responded to the September jobs report out Friday by arguing that Obama has a failed record on the economy. He pointed to millions of Americans still struggling for work, living in poverty and using food stamps to feed their families.

He also argued that the rate is low in part because some people have stopped looking for work.

The Labor Department says 114,000 jobs were added last month, helping bring the jobless rate to its lowest point since Obama took office in January 2009.

The figures are a much-needed boost for Obama after a disappointing debate performance against Romney this week.

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Material may not be redistributed.

More From KYBB-FM / B102.7