“Restricted traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, as a result of the conflict, has also been reflected in the uptick in gas prices.”

“US consumers are feeling the pinch in other areas. The University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment survey, which tracks economic optimism, dropped by 6 percent in March to hit its lowest level since December 2025.”

“The White House deputy press secretary Kush Desai wrote in a post on the social media platform X: “The March jobs report blew out expectations with strong construction job growth and a surge in manufacturing job creation as trillions of dollars in investments begin to materialize.””

“In his statement, Desai brushed aside concerns about the economic instability during the Iran war, dubbed Operation Epic Fury, which has sent prices for fuel and fertiliser surging higher.”

“Experts say that the impact of the US conflict with Iran is not yet reflected in the country’s job numbers.”

“Economists at the banking firm JPMorgan cautioned that “negative payroll readings in any given month will become more common”, adding that “even with job growth sufficient to stabilize the unemployment rate, there could be negative payroll readings at least a third of the time”.”

“Angela Hanks, the chief of policy programmes at the think tank The Century Foundation, echoed that assessment in a statement to Al Jazeera. “The topline rate does not yet reflect the war’s impact on the job market,” she said. “Wage growth has stalled, and oil prices are skyrocketing, resulting in higher prices for consumers and threatening to weaken the job market.””