Economic spotlight turns to US jobs data as markets are roiled by high rates and uncertainties

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Job growth in the United States has remained resilient for the past 2 1/2 years even after high inflation flared and the Federal Reserve jacked up interest rates at the fastest pace in four decades. The September jobs report that the Labor Department will issue Friday will show just how much of that durability remains. Additional threats to the economy have emerged in recent weeks, including much higher long-term interest rates, rising energy prices, the resumption of student loan payments, widening labor strikes and the ongoing threat of a government shutdown. Economists have forecast that employers added 163,000 jobs last month, a solid increase, though down sharply from the pace of hiring earlier this year.