The U.S. Department of Labor said it would delay releases of economic data if the federal government shuts down this week, which could postpone Friday's highly anticipated monthly jobs report.

On Friday, the Labor Department posted a 73-page " contingency plan " detailing operations if government funding lapses at midnight on Sept. 30. If that occurs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) would suspend all operations, including data collection activities for BLS surveys, website updates and economic reports, the plan states.

The BLS is scheduled to release its report on September employment gains on Oct. 3. In a shutdown, government agencies must stop all non-essential functions until funding is approved by Congress and signed into law, except for programs that are funded from othe

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