Local government roles were down 57,000, leisure and hospitality positions decreased by 40,000, finance jobs declined 14,000, and the retail sector lost more than 19,000.

U.S. employers cut 23,000 jobs in July, and job gains for the two previous months were weaker than initially reported, according to a report Friday from the Labor Department.

A summer hiring slump dogged the US labor market in July as the economy unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs, according to new data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.