U.S. Employers Temper Hiring Over Tariff Policy Woes

US employers likely slowed their hiring in March, as consumers grew increasingly cautious and the economic outlook dimmed due to concerns about the fallout from higher tariffs, Vince Golle and Craig Stirling reported for Bloomberg News.

The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 4.1%.

Payrolls rose by 138,000, below the 151,000 increase recorded the previous month, according to the median projection of economists surveyed by Bloomberg. This would leave average job growth over the past three months at its slowest pace since October.

The unemployment rate is expected to hold steady at 4.1%.

The latest labor market report follows data indicating a significant slowdown in the economy during the first quarter, as reported by Abba Wong, Stuart Paul, and Eliza Winger for Bloomberg News.

Personal spending barely increased in February after a January slump, disposable income growth remained weak, and consumer sentiment in March declined amid fears of mounting inflationary pressures.

Shortly after the most recent jobs report, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is set to discuss the economic outlook.

Other Fed governors, including Adriana Kugler, Philip Jefferson, Lisa Cook, and Michael Barr, are also scheduled to speak in the coming week, Estelle Ou and Chris G. Collins reported.