The nation’s labor market softened a bit in the new year, with the unemployment rate edging up to 4.6 percent in January as job growth slowed, the Labor Department said Friday.

The report fits with widespread forecasts of a slowing economy in 2007 after expanding rapidly last year.

The jobless rate ticked higher in January from 4.5 percent in December, but remains low by historical standards. And much of the increase occurred because hundreds of thousands more workers poured into the labor force last month, likely spurred by booming job growth at the end of last year.

Construction employment grew as job cuts by home builders were more than offset by hiring for non-residential projects, such as offices, hotels, factories and hospitals. Manufacturing employment fell, with the job losses concentrated in automaking, furniture and textiles.