Millions of Americans who have been too discouraged to look for work because of weakness in the labor market largely remained on the sidelines. The labor participation rate — which includes those who have jobs and those who are hunting — ticked down only slightly, to 62.7 percent from 62.8 percent in February.

With several presidential hopefuls poised to announce their campaigns this month, this latest report will probably help set the stage for the economic themes that candidates present to voters. Republicans and Democrats, who have repeatedly underscored their interest in helping working- and middle-class families that the recovery has left behind, may be looking at other worrisome economic signs as well.

Durable goods orders declined in February while retail sales were weak despite increases in household disposable income. The trade deficit narrowed in February — probably in part because of work stoppages at West Coast ports that limited imports — but the rising value of the dollar has put a dent in the country’s exports and is likely to mean an increase in cheaper imports from overseas.

Growth in manufacturing is also off to a slower start this year than some economists had hoped.

Friday’s disappointing figures, the weakest showing in two years, mean it will take longer for the economy to reach a level most analysts consider close to full employment.

The Hamilton Project, an economic policy initiative at the Brookings Institution, calculated that the nation still faces what it calls a “jobs gap” of four million, the number of additional jobs needed to reach prerecession employment levels.