Jitters about the strength of the labor market just as the crucial holiday shopping season gets underway.

A report released Wednesday showed the weakest hiring by private employers in six months.

U.S. companies hired only 67,000 new workers in November, according to a monthly survey jointly published by payroll processor ADP and Moody's Analytics. That number was a big drop from the month before and way below Wall Street expectations.

The ADP figure comes days ahead of the government's more comprehensive payroll report due on Friday.

And hiring has been slowing this year.

Economists are closely watching what's happening with the labor market. Wage-earning consumers have been propping up this economy, offsetting a slump in the manufacturing sector. A contraction in factory activity has deepened as numerous trade spats between the U.S. and its trading partners disrupt supply chains and muddy the outlook.