Do US jobs figures really affect the presidential election? | Callum Jones

With a campaign this close, anything can shift the dial - but the average person also probably has no idea' about the monthly jobs report

As another presidential election rears into view, spare a thought for campaign operatives on the eve of the first Friday of each month. Aides used to functioning on little sleep struggle by on even less. Press releases and attack lines are meticulously prepared.

As the clock clicks to 8.30am, the website of the Bureau of Labor Statistics is refreshed repeatedly on hundreds of laptops and phones, until it finally lands: a 40-page statistical release entitled The Employment Situation.