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U.S. companies added the fewest workers in March since late 2017 as construction and manufacturing cut jobs, according to a private report that signals potential weakness in employment ahead of the monthly Labor Department data April 5.

The United States and Colorado are facing a truck driver shortage, a daunting economic prospect as the vast majority of goods in the country are transported over the road.

Filings for U.S. unemployment benefits fell more than expected to a four-week low, as the labor market tightens further following the end of a five-week government shutdown.

U.S. hiring was the weakest in more than a year while wage gains were the fastest of the expansion and the unemployment rate fell, a possible sign that America’s jobs engine is starting to slow down. Treasuries rose while the dollar and stock futures fell.

Companies added fewer workers to U.S. payrolls in February after a burst of hiring in the prior month that was stronger than previously reported, signaling that the labor market continues to underpin what may become the longest economic expansion on record this year.

Companies added more workers than forecast to U.S. payrolls in January, signaling a healthy start to the year for the job market despite the partial government shutdown.

Texas, California and Florida created more than 200,000 jobs in 2018, according to employment data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Ford Motor Co. said it will cut thousands of jobs, weed out slow-selling variants and potentially close entire factories in Europe, as the carmakers’s global cost-cutting drive targets a region that has been a drag on earnings for years.

WASHINGTON — U.S. job openings fell in November from the previous month, but the number of available positions remained healthy.

Companies added the most workers in almost two years to U.S. payrolls in December, exceeding forecasts and signaling that the job market was solid as 2018 came to an end.