Hiring in the U.S. slowed to its lowest level in a half year amid rising economic uncertainty, according to a monthly index.

The Conference Board's Employment Trends Index, or ETI, fell to 107.57 in April from a downwardly revised 108.41 in March, the research group said Monday.

When the ETI index increases, employment is likely to increase as well, while turning points in the index suggest a change in the number of jobs is likely to occur in the short term.

The fall takes the index to its lowest since October, said Mitchell Barnes, an economist at The Conference Board.

"While labor market indicators for the private sector largely remained stable in April, consumers and businesses are beginning to anticipate the impact of tariffs and import declines that could materialize over the next month," Barnes said.

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