Federal government employment fell again in July, with a loss of 12,000 jobs, according to the report. The sector has lost 84,000 jobs since the start of the year. The report notes that employees who are on paid leave or are receiving ongoing severance pay are considered employed, and so are not included in this tally.

The labor market slowed sharply over the past three months amid ongoing concerns over President Donald Trump's tariff policies.

President Trump said he will fire the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics after the independent government agency reported weak jobs numbers for July and the preceding month. Why it matters: Trump is turning his ire about poor jobs numbers on the number-crunchers.