(WASHINGTON) — Fresh jobs data on Friday showed a continued hiring slowdown in the first such release since a dismal jobs report last month prompted President Donald Trump to fire the top official tasked with compiling labor statistics. The reading fell well short of economists’ expectations.

The U.S. added 22,000 jobs in August, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. That figure showed a sharp decrease from 79,000 jobs added in the previous month. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3%, but it remained at a historically low level.

A previous jobs report showed a sharp slowdown of hiring over the summer, eliciting concern among some economists about a possible recession.

The U.S. added an average of about 28,000 jobs over three months ending in July, which marked a

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