The decline of 125,000 in nonfarm payrolls for June isn’t a surprise. Most economists were forecasting a decline of 100,000 or so. Nor is the tumble necessarily an omen for the economy. A big factor in the retreat in the headline number is the termination of temporary Census workers. And if we strip out the government’s influence, there’s good news: private-sector employment added 83,000 new jobs last month, a rebound from May’s tepid 33,000 gain. But the modest rebound in private sector employment isn’t a revelation either, based on the consensus forecast among dismal scientists. Overall, the debate about whether the labor market is on a sustainable path of recovery is still alive and kicking.