{"id":13919,"date":"2025-09-10T19:29:04","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T19:29:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/?p=13919"},"modified":"2025-09-10T19:29:06","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T19:29:06","slug":"weak-jobs-reports-inflation-worries-and-the-feds-next-move","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zacksim.com\/blog\/weak-jobs-reports-inflation-worries-and-the-feds-next-move\/","title":{"rendered":"Weak Jobs Reports, Inflation Worries, And The Fed’s Next Move"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Laura J. from Columbus, OH asks<\/em>: Hi Mitch, I saw that there was a really weak jobs report from August, which makes it seem like interest rates will be coming down finally. Is this also what you\u2019re anticipating?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitch\u2019s Response:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the jobs report, then I\u2019ll weigh in on rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The August employment report was indeed weak, which essentially locks in a Fed rate cut this month. So far in 2025, the U.S. has added fewer than 600,000 jobs, making this the slowest start to a year for job growth (outside the pandemic) since 2009. Private-sector hiring has averaged just 74,000 jobs per month, down from about 130,000 last year. And if you strip out health services, healthcare and social assistance, the picture looks even weaker. That sector has been adding roughly 64,000 jobs monthly this year. Without it, the rest of the private sector would be contributing only about 9,000 jobs per month, and the private sector would have actually lost jobs in August.1<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outside of healthcare, the slowdown is broad-based. Manufacturing and construction both showed sharp declines in August. Businesses have also been hesitant to expand payrolls while they sort through policy uncertainty from new tariffs, to changes in immigration, and federal spending. That hesitation is a big reason job growth has slowed so abruptly since the spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Retirement Strategies for a Shifting Rate Environment<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fed may be cutting rates, but that doesn\u2019t guarantee smoother markets. For retirees, the challenge remains: protecting their income and preserving wealth amid uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Download our free guide, How Solid Is Your Retirement Strategy?2<\/sup>,<\/a><\/u><\/em><\/strong> and explore strategies to keep your plan on track, no matter what the Fed does next. Inside, you\u2019ll get insights on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n