With the federal government shutdown grinding on, the nation’s economic picture is collapsing into silence and uncertainty.

For the first time in decades, there is no official monthly employment report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — the same agency many now say can no longer be trusted after the White House moved to control its data release following a weak jobs report earlier this year.

In the vacuum, private firms have stepped forward with independent analyses that show the country losing jobs and faith at the same time.

ADP’s National Employment Report found that private-sector employers shed 32,000 jobs in September, reversing the modest gains of the summer. Annual pay for job-stayers rose 4.5%, showing that wages are inching up even as hiring slows.

“Despite the stron

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