U.S. job growth likely remained firm in January, with a rebound in wages, supporting views that consumers will have enough muscle to carry the economy through tough times. “That would be seen as encouraging given everything that is going on in the rest of the world and would reinforce the notion that consumer spending will remain a key pillar of support for the U.S. economy,” said Millan Mulraine, deputy chief economist at TD Securities in New York. The Labor Department will release its closely watched employment report at 8:30 a.m.