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America's job growth slowed down in January after months of robust gains, according to the latest report shared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which experts called "a mixed bag" for the U.S. housing market. There is a strong correlation between the housing and the job markets: lower unemployment rates are generally linked to an increase in housing demand, as workers have more home-buying power. While the U.S. job market has been strong in the past few years and unemployment low, home prices appreciated faster than wages, eroding Americans' purchasing power. According to the January job report, wages are now rising faster than inflation, with the average hourly earnings up 4.1 percent year-over-year. In December, headline inflation was 2.9 percent. "The number of unemployed declined by 35,000 in January, bringing the unemployment rate down to 4 percent," National Association of REALTORS®' (NAR) chief economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement shared with Newsweek. A month earlier, the unemployment rate was 4.1 percent. "The construction industry needs workers, who are paid $39.07 per hour, compared to $22 in hotels and $25 in retail trade," Yun said. "The impact of the worker shortage due to deportation can be alleviated if combined with boosting temporary work visas and getting more Americans into trade schools," he added.