Hiring might have slipped last month to a still-strong level

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — After months of robust hiring, U.S. employers might have pulled back slightly in May, to levels that would still be consistent with a healthy job market, despite high inflation and rising borrowing costs. Economists have estimated that the nation added a solid 325,000 jobs last month, down from 428,000 in both March and April. If so, that would snap a record-breaking streak of 12 straight months in which job growth had topped 400,000. The unemployment rate is expected to slip to 3.5% — matching a half-century low — from 3.6%. The May jobs report the government will issue Friday coincides with inflation near a four-decade high.