Economists had been expecting an overall healthy reading, with 169,000 net new jobs created in the month and the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.1%. The January report, which effectively closes the book on the Biden-era job market,

Annual revisions to jobs data and disruptions related to the catastrophic Los Angeles fires and severe winter storms are likely to be reasons behind the slump in job gains.

January job growth in the United States in January dropped drastically from December numbers and fell short of analysts' expectations according to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday.