As indicators mount that the U.S. economy might be slowing, a key report due Friday will provide the first major glimpse of whether the labor market remained on sound footing in May — and if inflation might be starting to creep up.
Nonfarm employers probably added 185,000 jobs in May, based on a survey by the data provider FactSet.
Such a level would represent a slowdown from the 263,000 jobs added in April, but still faster than the estimated 100,000 or so jobs per month needed to keep up with growth in the working population.