As far as anyone can tell, the job market is holding steady. But until the government shutdown ends, who really knows?

On wednesday, check-cutting giant Automatic Data Processing reported that private-sector employers added 166,000 jobs last month, a shade less than the 178,000 expected by economists. But the Conference Board reported its measure of online help-wanted ads reached its highest level on record. And on Tuesday, the Institute for Supply Management said its index of manufacturing employment rose to its highest level in more than a year.