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Retail employment in March was down by 11,700 jobs from February and down 47,400 jobs year-over-year but the economy gained 196,000 jobs overall.

The National Retail Federation sent a letter to Trump administration officials expressing concerns over ongoing threats to close the United States-Mexico border and outlining how a closure would hurt U.S. retailers, workers and consumers.

Retail sales were down 0.7 percent in February from January but up 2.7 percent year-over-year as delayed and revisions related to the government shutdown continued to make comparisons difficult.

The National Retail Federation urged Congress to support bipartisan legislation introduced in the House that would fix a drafting error in the tax reform law that took effect in 2018. The error relating to depreciation rules is delaying millions of dollars in job-creating investments in stores and restaurants across the country.

The National Retail Federation welcomed bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate that would fix a drafting error in the tax reform law that took effect in 2018. The error relating to depreciation rules is delaying job-creating investments in stores and restaurants across the country.

As more consumers embrace multichannel shopping, retailers are diversifying their investments online and offline to meet customers’ needs, according to the annual State of Retailing Online study released by the National Retail Federation and Forrester.

Retail sales rebounded in January, increasing 1.3 percent seasonally adjusted from December and 3.6 percent unadjusted year-over-year, the National Retail Federation said. The numbers exclude automobile dealers, gasoline stations and restaurants.

NRF and the California Retailers Association asked state officials to preserve popular customer loyalty programs, protect businesses from potentially ruinous financial penalties and address other provisions of a new privacy law set to take effect next year.

Imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are expected to drop to their lowest level in almost a year this month, according to the Global Port Tracker report from NRF and Hackett Associates.

Retail industry employment in February was down 6,100 jobs from January and 5,300 jobs year-over-year as employment growth across all industries slowed dramatically.