U.S. employers added jobs at a steady pace last month, and the unemployment rate hit a 50-year low, signaling the labor market continues to provide opportunities for Americans in search of work despite a broader economic slowdown.

The U.S. economy added 136,000 jobs in September, the Labor Department reported Friday. The jobless rate dropped to 3.5% in September from 3.7% in August, marking the lowest jobless rate since December 1969, when it also logged in at 3.5%.

U.S. employers added fewer jobs than expected in September and wage gains slowed, adding to signs of decelerating growth in the domestic economy. However, the unemployment rate unexpectedly declined to a fresh five-decade low of 3.5%.

Here were the main numbers from the Department of Labor’s September jobs report, versus consensus expectations compiled by Bloomberg:

Nonfarm payrolls: 136,000 vs. +145,000 expected and +168,000 in August

Unemployment rate: 3.5% vs. 3.7% expected and 3.7% in August

The numbers: The economy added 136,000 new jobs in September, the government said Friday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had forecast a 150,000 increase.

This is the slowest pace of job growth in four months, as businesses grew more cautious about hiring, but employment gains for August and July revised up by a combined 45,000

And in a separate survey, the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 3.5%, the lowest rate since December 1969. The number of unemployed people fell by 275,00 over the month.