The partial government shutdown may leave the Fed without its usual snapshot of the labor market at a critical moment.

Federal jobs numbers will not be released if the government shuts down at midnight Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Labor said. It's a much-anticipated report.

If the U.S. government shuts down, jobs and inflation data, which the Federal Reserve relies to make rate decisions, could be delayed.

The partial government shutdown may leave the Fed without its usual snapshot of the labor market at a critical moment.

The data points fill in some gaps on information that usually comes from the Labor Department but are delayed because of the shutdown.