U.S. job growth likely slowed sharply in October with the unemployment rate ticking higher as a partial shutdown of the government kept workers at home, undercutting an already lethargic labor market. Non-farm payrolls are expected to have risen by only 125,000 jobs last month, according to a Reuters survey of economists, down from an increase of 148,000 in September. That would be well below the 178,000 jobs monthly average over the first nine months of the year. The unemployment rate is forecast to edge up to 7.3 percent from September's nearly five-year low of 7.2 percent. Economists estimate the 16-day federal ... (full story)