Joseph Brusuelas, the chief economist at RSM US LLP, points to a concern that hasn't gotten much airing recently: are there enough people to fill the open positions in the workforce? Here's what he says in a post-report client note: 
 
 "With little to no slack left in the economy, the major challenge for both policymakers and firm managers is where will businesses find the workers to meet growing demand in a new economy increasingly organized around science, mathematics and technology in a tightening labor market. 
 
 "Given that there is roughly one worker per job opening in the economy, the narrative inside the labor market is rapidly shifting from that of triumph to that of concern amongst firms of all sizes over how to fill positions among labor scarcity. Due to misaligned immigration policies during a time of economic acceleration and the lack of those that are willing and able to work, firms are about to enter a period of rapid integration of technology as a substitute for labor to avoid growing bottlenecks in production and the provision of services. In a rational world, this would be a major inflection point stimulating profound public debate, Congressional hearings and a Presidential commission to map out possible policy paths in an age of Artificial Intelligence. Instead all we get is an already tired juvenile discussion around who gets political credit for the secular improvement in job creation and the economy." ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added a robust 200,000 jobs in January, and wages rose at the fastest pace in more than eight years. 
 
 The pay gains suggest employers are competing more fiercely for workers. Raises stemming from Republican tax cuts and minimum wage increases in 18 states also likely boosted pay. 
 
 The Labor Department says the unemployment rate remained 4.1 percent for a fourth straight month, the lowest level since 2000. 
 
 The figures point to an economy on strong footing even in its ninth year of expansion, fueled by global economic growth and healthy consumer spending at home. 
 
 The pickup in hourly wages, along with a recent uptick in inflation, may make it more likely that the Federal Reserve will raise short-term interest rates more quickly in the coming months.
– US employers added a robust 200,000 jobs in January, and wages rose at the fastest pace in more than eight years. The pay gains suggest employers are competing more fiercely for workers. Raises stemming from Republican tax cuts and minimum wage increases in 18 states also likely boosted pay. The Labor Department says the unemployment rate remained 4.1% for a fourth straight month, the lowest level since 2000, per the AP. The figures point to an economy on strong footing even in its ninth year of expansion, fueled by global economic growth and healthy consumer spending at home. Industries that saw an upswing in job growth last month included construction, health care, manufacturing, and food services and drinking establishments, per the Wall Street Journal. The pickup in hourly wages, along with a recent uptick in inflation, may make it more likely that the Federal Reserve will raise short-term interest rates more quickly in the coming months. Gold prices fell Friday morning in response to that speculation.