The disappointing July jobs report fed fears of a U.S. downturn, spurring traders to sell. But economic fundamentals are still strong.

Economists say the supply of jobs and workers is coming into better balance than during the labor shortages of the pandemic.

And why is there no target number to measure it, as there is with inflation —the Federal Reserve’s other mandate?

It may be another data point that helps convince the Fed to start cutting interest rates.

Even with a comparatively low unemployment rate, layoffs are rising. A new survey lays out some of the sacrifices workers are willing to make to avoid that fate.

Conditions in the labor market increasingly look like they did before the pandemic.

But some economists say the relationship between inflation and employment is not as black and white as it used to be.

The uptick seems to reinforce a number of recent signals showing moderation in the labor market.

Initial jobless claims hit a 10-month high last week. If that takes pressure off prices, the Federal Reserve might reduce interest rates.

Unemployment jumped from 8.6% to 12.3% among 20-somethings with bachelor’s degrees year over year, the BLS reported.