The government issues the jobs report Friday, Sept. 4, for August at a time of continuing layoffs and high unemployment.
Economists have forecast that employers added 1.4 million jobs in August and that the unemployment rate fell from 10.2% to 9.8%, according to a survey by data provider FactSet.
The Labor Department will issue the August jobs report at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time Friday.
The economy still has roughly 13 million fewer jobs than it did when the coronavirus struck in March.
The jobs report coincides with growing signs that more companies are making permanent job cuts rather than temporary furloughs.