When Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Friday opened the door to cutting interest rates for the first time in nearly a year, he noted the tremors beginning to shake a main pillar of the U.S. economy: the labor market.

Concerns about the pace of job growth were heightened earlier this month after government data showed a sharp slowdown in hiring in July , along with much weaker payroll gains in May and June than previously thought. The disappointing numbers were alarming enough for President Trump to question their accuracy and to fire the head of the agency tasked with compiling the data.

Yet labor experts tell CBS News they weren't surprised by the downturn, and caution that more pain could be in store for job seekers. Data released since the August 1 job numbers show

See Full Page