Economic slowdown as US jobs growth weakest in more than a year

In this Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, photo, carpenter Nora Vega drills as she works on a new hi-rise, in New York. Some construction sites across the country are looking different nowadays due to a growing number of women on the job

US employment growth almost stalled in February, with the economy creating only 20,000 jobs, adding to signs of a sharp slowdown in economic activity.

The meagre payroll gains reported by the Labour Department on Friday were the weakest since September 2017, with a big drop in the weather-sensitive construction industry.