Economists were expecting a net gain of 160,000 jobs and for the unemployment rate to fall to 4.2%, according to FactSet consensus estimates. With inflation pretty much tamed and moderating as expected, the Federal Reserve has turned its focus to the labor market (the other part of its dual mandate). Job growth has been slowing, but there were indications that the labor market was weakening under the weight of 23-year-high interest rates. A ‘place of stability’July’s shockingly weak jobs report stoked fears that the jobs market was collapsing, potentially taking the economy into a downturn. And while a rate cut is coming, the jury is still out on the exact size of that move.

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Persons: ” Eugenio Alemán, Raymond James, August’s, We’re, Rachel Sederberg, “, Becky Frankiewicz, ’, ”, Kory Kantenga, —, ” Kantenga, Michelle Holder, haven’t Organizations: CNN, Employers, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, Fed, ManpowerGroup, Retail, Americas, LinkedIn, John Jay College, City University of New Locations: ManpowerGroup North America, Michigan, City University of New York