Job growth slowed and unemployment ticked higher last month, marking a break from a string of data showing surprising strength in the labor market.

U.S. employers added a seasonally adjusted 175,000 jobs in April, the Labor Department reported on Friday. That was far less than in March, when gains exceeded 300,000. It was also below the 240,000 economists had expected.

Friday’s report will keep hope alive for a late-summer interest-rate cut from the Federal Reserve, because it eases fears of an overheating economy. Still, the Friday jobs figures won’t change much for the Fed’s immediate outlook, in part because another employment report is due before officials’ June 11-12 meeting.

Read more at msn.com.