For years, the bounce back in restaurants, hotels, and other in-person services was one of the big engines of the job market.
Those days may be over.
The US unexpectedly lost 23,000 jobs in July. Two major consumer-facing industries were among the areas contributing to the first monthly loss since February: Leisure and hospitality and retail together experienced a job loss of 59,400. That follows a loss of 43,000 for leisure and hospitality in June and a decline of 3,700 in retail.
While some job-market observers think that could be related to the World Cup, others think rising prices are a major factor. People are still spending, but some may…
