U.S. labor market tightens, strong dollar causing headwinds: Fed

Wednesday.

Overall, U.S. economic activity continued to expand modestly from mid-August through early October, the Fed said in its Beige Book report of anecdotal information on business activity collected from contacts nationwide.

The U.S. central bank said manufacturing conditions were "generally sluggish" with the slowdown in China taking a back seat to the stronger dollar as the most immediate headwind.

"A number of districts cite the strong dollar as restraining manufacturing activity as well as tourism spending," the report said. In particular, the steel sector remained weak, as the dollar's appreciation increased import competition, especially from China.

The Fed said labor markets tightened in most districts with some reports of labor shortages, particularly for skilled workers.

However, in a worrying sign as the central bank continues to mull a rise in interest rates for the first time in almost a decade, reports of wage gains were "mostly subdued" with only "scattered reports" of wage gain pressures. These were concentrated among highly skilled workers, the Fed said.

One district, the Philadelphia Fed, reported relatively more growth in part-time and temporary work compared to full-time positions, and Dallas reported that layoffs in the energy sector were ongoing.

The report was compiled by the Federal Reserve Bank of New

York with information collected on or before Oct. 5, 2015.

(Reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Andrea Ricci)