The U.S. labor market could be showing signs of slowing down after the economy added 315,000 new jobs in August, down from 528,000 in July. 
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate edged higher to 3.7 percent.  
Economists had forecast a gain of 300,000 new jobs and a jobless rate of 3.5 percent. 
The labor force participation rate climbed to 62.4 percent, average hourly earnings were unchanged at 5.2 percent year-over-year, and average weekly hours eased to 34.5.  
A Week of Labor Data
Before the BLS published the August jobs report, there were other numbers that offered some insights into the current state of the U.S. labor market….