Help-wanted advertising showed a slight gain.

The Conference Board’s index of want-ad volume in 51 newspapers around the country rose three points from August to September but has remained virtually unchanged for the year. Ken Goldstein, the board economist who tracks the figures, said the numbers suggest that employers are convinced that they can maintain production without substantial new hiring. In Los Angeles, the September index stood at 148 (with 1970 as a base of 100), compared to 144 in August and 148 in September of last year.