FirstUp: US to release unemployment figures amid Iran war and big headlines of the day

It’s a day of prayer, meetings and war. As the West Asia conflict enters Day 35, the Catholic world will mark Good Friday today. Pope Leo XIV will carry the cross himself through all 14 stations of the Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum on the first Good Friday of his pontificate.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron’s Asia visit continues. Today (April 3), he will meet with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and hold summit talks, agreement signings and even attend a state luncheon.

In India, extensive security arrangements have been made in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit.

Here’s what else is in store.

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US employment report to be released

Amidst the Iran war, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics will release the jobs report at 8:30 am Eastern Time. This report gains even more significance as the Iran war is adding fresh pressure to a slowing US labour market, with at least one major employer already freezing hiring plans.

Consumer goods giant Unilever, which owns brands such as Dove and Vaseline, told CBS News that it’s hitting the brakes on hiring amid an unstable economic backdrop. In a memo obtained by Reuters, a Unilever executive pointed to “macroeconomic and geopolitical realities, especially in the Middle East conflict” as the reason for the company’s three-month hiring freeze.

Even before the Iran war began, the US hiring rate had slowed, with the February Job Openings and Labour Turnover Survey hitting its lowest level since 2020. Employers across the US shed 92,000 jobs in February, a sharp and unexpected setback in a labour market marked by anaemic job growth during the past year as businesses grappled with tariffs and economic uncertainty.

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Macron to hold talks with South Korean counterpart

After landing in Seoul on April 2, French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with his South Korean counterpart, President Lee Jae Myung, today.

South Korea’s presidential Blue House said that the two leaders will meet on April 3 for an official welcome ceremony, summit talks, agreement signings and a state luncheon. Lee and Macron are expected to discuss trade, investment and cooperation in areas such as AI, quantum technology, space and nuclear energy, as well as regional and global issues.

This is Macron’s first visit to the country since taking office in 2017, and the first visit by a French president in 11 years.

Pope Leo XIV to preside over the Way of the Cross

On the occasion of Good Friday, Pope Leo XIV is to carry the Cross through all 14 stations of the Via Crucis at Rome’s Colosseum, in the first such ceremony of his pontificate.

It is also the first time that a pope will carry the Cross for every station of the Via Crucis ceremony at the Colosseum since the tradition was revived at the site more than six decades ago, the Vatican said.

Pope Leo’s predecessors John Paul II and Benedict XVI carried the cross only at the opening and closing of the ceremony. The torchlit ceremony, which commemorates the Passion and death of Jesus Christ, is scheduled to begin at 21.15 local time.

PM Modi to visit Chennai ahead of Assembly polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Chennai today for electioneering in Tamil Nadu, which will go to the polls on April 23. The Greater Chennai City Police are making elaborate arrangements in view of the VVIP visit.

Modi will arrive at the Chennai airport on the afternoon of April 3 and will then fly to Puducherry, where he will address a public meeting in the evening to canvass votes for candidates of the BJP and its allies. He will then return to Chennai.

Nearly 3,000 police personnel have been deployed across Chennai as part of extensive security arrangements for the two-day visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.