US economy added 12,000 jobs in October, dealing a blow to Harris days before election

The Labor Department reported Friday the U.S. economy added 12,000 jobs in October, far fewer than expected.

Wall Street estimates for non-farm payroll job was in increase of 100,000, according to CNBC.

The unemployment rate for last month was 4.1%, unchanged from September, according to the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

The bureau said the two recent hurricanes that hit the U.S. – on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6 –  contributed to the low number of jobs added. 

The job number was the lowest since December 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to NBC News. 

The report was the last before Election Day on Tuesday.