A leading indicator signaled a potential loss of jobs over the next few months amid weaker January employment data.
The Conference Board’s Employment Trends Index (ETI) declined from 109.23 in December to 108.35 in January, the Conference Board said in a Feb. 10 statement. A decrease in the index value indicates that employment numbers are likely to decline.
This past week, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that the U.S. economy added 143,000 new jobs in January, which was not only lower than expected but also a decline compared with the 307,000 jobs added in December.
On the positive side, the unemployment rate dipped from 4.1 to 4 percent, beating investor expectations. Wage growth and labor force participation all ticked up….