The September employment report is not expected to be released on Friday if the first government shutdown since 2019 continues.

The report was hotly anticipated, given that the labor market has shown signs of softening and concerns about an economic slowdown or even a recession have increased. Also, the Federal Reserve is closely watching all data to chart a course of action on monetary policy.

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According to a plan released by the Labor Department ahead of the shutdown, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which produces the jobs reports, will suspend all operations in the case of a shutdown, including data collection and the dissemination of economic reports.

SHUTDOWN WOULD HAVE FALLOUT FOR GOVERNMENT WORKERS, THE FED, AND MARKETS

The delay in data releases could end up being even more problematic if the government shutdown stretches for a long period of time. That is because investors and the Fed would miss not only this week’s jobs data, but also reports related to inflation.

Data from the September consumer price index are set to be released on Oct. 15, and the latest producer price index is slated for an Oct. 16 release.

The lack of data would make policymakers’ jobs much more difficult at a critical juncture for the economy.

“It’s not good that everybody would be flying blind,” Desmond Lachman, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, told the Washington Examiner.

Lachman said the Fed still has measures of its own that can help it get some gauge on the economy.

Prior to the government shutdown, most investors forecasted the Friday jobs report to show that 51,000 jobs were added in September and the unemployment rate would remain at 4.3%.

The economy added just 22,000 jobs in August, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.3%. Also, the July jobs report revealed that some 258,000 fewer jobs were added in May and June than previously reported. Additionally, the government announced that labor market growth for the 12 months ending in March was 911,000 jobs less than previously reported.

HIRING SLOWED FURTHER IN AUGUST AMID CONCERNS OF WEAKENING JOB MARKET

Despite delays in the government data, payroll company ADP releases its own jobs report every month. That report, released on Wednesday morning, has gotten extra attention given the shutdown and the possible delay of the BLS data.

That report showed that private employers cut some 32,000 jobs in September, a concerning sign for the labor market and the economy.