The U.S. economy added 142,000 jobs in August and the unemployment rate ticked down slightly to 4.2%, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday, fresh data that does little to assuage concerns about a slowdown in an otherwise solid labor market.

Unemployment remains low but has been on an upward trajectory for most of this year following a jobs boom that the U.S. experienced as part of its broader economic recovery following the Covid pandemic. 

The monthly jobs report — always closely…