WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added just 73,000 jobs last month and Labor Department revisions showed that hiring was much weaker than previously reported in May and June. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2%.
The unexpectedly weak report raises questions about the health of the job market and the economy as President Donald Trump pushes forward with a radical and erratic overhaul of American trade policy, imposing hefty tariffs on imports from almost every country on earth.
The Labor Department reported Friday that revisions shaved a stunning 258,000 jobs off May and June payrolls.
The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.2% last month from 4.1% in June. The number of people in the labor force – those working and looking for work – fell modestly last month, and the ranks of the unemployed rose by 221,000.
Manufacturers cut 11,000 jobs last month after shedding 15,000 in June and 11,000 in May. The federal government, where employment has been targeted by the Trump administration, lost 12,000 jobs. Jobs in administration and support fell by nearly 20,000.
