Forecasts for tepid U.S. job growth in August and a rise in unemployment to 4.3%, if accurate, would confirm a softening labor market and seal the case for an interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve this month. The Labor Department's closely watched employment report on Friday will follow this week's news of more unemployed people than vacancies in July for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Job growth has shifted into stall-speed, with economists blaming President Donald Trump's sweeping import tariffs and an immigration crackdown that has reduced the labor pool. Softness in the labor market is mostly coming from the hiring side.