By Alicia Wallace, CNN

(CNN) — The US job market seems to have chugged along for the first half of this year — but the risk is rising that employment growth is running out of steam.

The July jobs report, due for release at 8:30 a.m. ET Friday, is expected to show a net gain of 115,000 jobs, which would mark a considerable downshift from June’s 147,000 jobs . The unemployment rate is expected to tick up to 4.2% from 4.1%, according to FactSet consensus estimates.

Through June, the US has added between 102,000 and 158,000 jobs per month, Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows. Those are solid gains and widely thought to be in line with the breakeven point, where the jobs added keep up with labor force growth and hold the unemployment rate steady.

However, outside of the pandemic rece

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