By Lucia Mutikani

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. job openings increased marginally in August while hiring declined, consistent with lackluster labor market conditions that could allow the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates again next month despite resilient consumer spending.

Households are also growing pessimistic about the labor market. A survey from the Conference Board on Tuesday showed the share of consumers viewing jobs as “plentiful” fell this month to the lowest level since early 2021. There were 0.98 job openings for every unemployed person in August compared to 1.0 in July.

The labor market has almost stagnated amid slowing demand for workers, with economists blaming a lagging drag from uncertainty stemming from tariffs on imports as well as the rise of artificial intelligence.

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