June jobs report may help clarify a muddy economic picture

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Labor Department releases its jobs report for June. It's one of the most anticipated economic figures of the year, coming at a time when the U.S. and global economic outlooks are unusually cloudy, especially in the wake of Britain's "Brexit" vote.

Observers are looking to find out whether a sharp slowdown in U.S. hiring during April and May was just a temporary blip, or whether it signaled a broader economic slump.

Analysts have forecast that employers added a solid 180,000 jobs last month. That's according to FactSet, an information service. The unemployment rate is expected to tick up to a still very low 4.8 percent from 4.7 percent.

If it turns out that employers did add nearly 200,000 jobs in June, it would mark a reassuring turnaround from a dismal May, when they added just 38,000, the fewest in more than five years. Over the past three months, job growth has averaged only 116,000 — half the average monthly gain of last year.

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