WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. private payrolls increased less than expected in August amid easing labor market conditions.

Private employment rose by 54,000 jobs last month after a slightly upwardly revised 106,000 increase in July, the ADP National Employment Report showed on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast private employment increasing 65,000 following a previously reported 104,000 gain in July.

The ADP report, jointly developed with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, was published ahead of the more comprehensive employment report for August due to be released on Friday by the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. There is no correlation between the ADP and BLS employment reports.

The labor market is softening, with economists blaming President Donald Trump’s

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