The US unemployment rate has dropped to 7.9%, but hiring is slowing and many Americans have given up looking for work. That´s according to the final jobs report from Washington before the voters decide whether to give President Donald Trump a second term. While unemployment fell from 8.4% in August, that mainly reflected a decline in the number of people seeking work, rather than a surge in hiring. The government doesn´t count people as unemployed if they aren´t actively looking for a job.