WASHINGTON — Jobseekers had a harder time finding work last month as the economy cooled and wary employers added the fewest positions in 2 1/2 years. The jobless rate edged up to 4.5 percent.

The fresh employment picture provided by the Labor Department yesterday showed that payrolls grew by just 88,000 as job losses spread beyond the struggling manufacturing and construction sectors and into retailing and financial services. Workers' paychecks also grew more slowly.

Given the housing slump, rising energy prices and sluggish overall economic activity, "businesses are a bit more cautious and reluctant to hire as aggressively as they had," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "Businesses were voraciously hiring people a year ago and now they've got a bit of indigestion."

The new count of jobs added to the economy was the fewest since 65,000 in November 2004. The rise in the unemployment rate, however, was slight compared with March's 4.4 percent rate — which had matched a five-year low.

Taken together, the figures suggest the employment situation is weakening a bit — but not collapsing — as the nation's economy makes its way through a soft patch. Economists do predict the unemployment rate will climb in the coming months and approach 5 percent by year end, still relatively low by historic standards.

Still, for jobseekers — facing an even more competitive environment — that means sharpening their skills, networking more and polishing their resumes.

Those with jobs, meanwhile, saw wage growth slow.

Average hourly earnings rose to $17.25 in April, a 3.7 percent increase over the past 12 months. That marked the slowest annual rise in a year. Nonetheless, analysts considered the wage increase solid, and because it probably outpaced inflation, "workers are still staying ahead," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Bank of America's Investment Strategies Group.

Wage growth is important for workers and supports consumer spending, a vital ingredient to the economy's good health. The slower growth in wages alleviated some inflation fears.

Against that backdrop, the Federal Reserve is expected to leave a key interest rate at 5.25 percent when it meets next Wednesday. The rate hasn't budged since last August, giving borrowers a break. Before that the Fed had boosted rates for two years to ward off inflation.