Many economists say Friday's disappointing jobs report is sending warning signals about the pace of hiring across the U.S. and the broader health of the economy.

Employers added only 22,000 nonfarm jobs in August, far short of Wall Street analyst forecasts of 80,000, while the nation's unemployment rate rose to 4.3% — the highest level since October of 2021, when the economy was still reeling from the effects of the pandemic. In 2024, the economy added an average of 168,000 per month, labor data shows.

The job market is faltering partly because of the Trump administration's tariffs, which are heightening economic uncertainty, boosting costs for importers and complicating business planning.. Some economists also think that rapid employer adoption of artificial intelligence is hurti

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