WASHINGTON - US EMPLOYERS shed 159,000 jobs in September, the government said on Friday in a further sign of a troubled economy.

The unemployment rate held at 6.1 per cent, a five-year high.

The Labour Department's report on nonfarm payrolls, seen as one of the best indicators of economic momentum, showed a sharp rise in the number of job cuts after 73,000 job losses in August.

It was the ninth consecutive month of declining payrolls, according to the report, which was weaker than the average analyst forecast of a loss of 105,000 jobs.