U.S. Jobs Report Still Set to be Released Friday

The U.S. government's report on employment in October will be released on Friday as scheduled, the Labor Department's statistical arm said on Wednesday in a statement on its website.

There had been speculation that the Bureau of Labor Statistics would postpone the report given that Sandy, the storm that devastated much of the East Coast in recent days, had led to a two-day shutdown of the government.

The monthly data is the most closely watched indicator of the U.S. economy's health and regularly sets the tone for financial markets worldwide. This week's report will receive particularly scrutiny, given that it is coming just four days ahead of the U.S.