The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that the U.S. job market is showing signs of slowing down this spring, a change that economists have been expecting for some time. A New York Times dispatch to The Globe reports that the U.S. Labor Department's report on Friday showed employers added 175,000 jobs in April, which was lower than the forecast. The unemployment rate also increased slightly to 3.9 per cent. However, a less rapid increase after an average of 242,000 jobs over the previous 12 months is not necessarily bad news, as layoffs have remained low and most sectors appear stable. "It's not a bad economy, it's still a healthy economy," says Perc Pineda, economist at the Plastics Industry Association. He adds: "I think it's part of the cycle. We cannot continue robust growth indefinitely considering the limits of our economy." Despite projections of a significant slowdown in the labour market for over a year, it has remained strong, even in the face of a rapid increase in borrowing costs, a minor banking crisis and two major wars. However, economic growth declined significantly in the first quarter, suggesting that the exuberance of the past two years may be settling into a more sustainable rhythm.