US jobs report likely to show a solid gain, potentially complicating Fed’s drive to cool inflation

File – Construction workers work with rebar at a site on Tuesday June 6, 2023, in New York. On Friday, The U.S. government issues the June jobs report. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Another solid month of hiring in the United States is expected to be reported Friday, an outcome that would suggest no recession is in sight yet could make it harder for the Federal Reserve to succeed in its drive to cool the economy and curb high inflation. Employers are predicted to have added 205,000 jobs in June. A continuation of robust hiring would underscore the economy’s surprising resilience at a time when the Fed has jacked up its key interest rate by a sizable 5 percentage points — the fastest pace of rate hikes in four decades, one that has made mortgages, auto loans and other forms of borrowing significantly more expensive.