Job growth returns to more familiar, positive territory. Employers added 187,000 new positions in July, the second-slowest month for employment growth since December 2020, when staff counts retracted. July’s hiring was nevertheless still 61,000 roles ahead of the monthly average going back to 1980. The drawback in job creation was not unexpected, as the 9.6 million open positions in June was the lowest in two years. Together, these statistics reflect a downshift in the demand for personnel; although, the labor market is still tight in a broad sense. This slowdown to a more typical level of job creation is far from a concern, however, posing positive implications for both the economy at large and commercial real estate in particular.