Analysts: U.S. jobs report expected to support Walsh's views on the labor market

On August 30, economists expected the monthly employment report released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday to show that non-farm payrolls increased by 55,000 in August, following an unexpected decline in employment in July. If so, the result would be roughly in line with the average monthly increase so far this year. Unemployment is expected to remain at 4.1%. Analyst Anna Wong said Walsh's hawkish speech in Jackson Hole raised the possibility of a September rate hike and changed market expectations about how next week's data should be interpreted. The August non-farm payrolls report remains the headline, but the expected weak performance may not be as decisive as usual. Walsh described the labor market as in good health and noted that slowing job growth is often a demographic issue rather than a recession. (Jin Shi)