WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - After vouching last week that a "gratifying" drop in inflation was underway, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will face questions on Tuesday about whether a blowout January jobs report has shaken his confidence the decline can continue without harsher steps by the U.S. central bank to slow the economy.

Fed officials, including Powell, are typically reluctant to put weight on single data points. The Labor Department report on Friday showing 571,000 jobs was added in January may be seen as particularly "noisy" given annual data revisions and seasonal adjustments. Indeed, on an unadjusted basis, employers cut jobs last month as they do every January but by a much smaller amount than usual, resulting in the most significant seasonally adjusted increase in six months.

WASHINGTON, Feb 7 (Reuters) - After vouching last week that a "gratifying" drop in inflation was underway, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will face questions on Tuesday about whether a blowout January jobs report has shaken his confidence the decline can continue without harsher steps by the U.S. central bank to slow the economy.

Fed officials, including Powell, are typically reluctant to put weight on single data points, and the Labor Department report on Friday showing 571,000 jobs were added in January may be seen as particularly "noisy" given annual data revisions and seasonal adjustments. Indeed, on an unadjusted basis, employers cut jobs last month as they do every January but by a much smaller amount than usual, resulting in the largest seasonally adjusted increase in six months.But, with the unemployment rate hitting its lowest level since 1969 at 3.4%, January's numbers were still far out of line with the looser labor market the Fed has expected and feels will be needed to ensure that wage growth also slows and inflation continues to fal

Powell said that in slowing down to quarter-percentage-point steps the Fed was trying to "make a fine judgment" about how high rates needed to go without stepping too far and tightening credit conditions so much that it increases the risk of, or even causes, a jobs-destroying recession.

He noted that a process of "disinflation" seemed to be taking hold so far without throwing employment off course - a hoped-for outcome if it can continue but one that might prove unsustainable if job growth doesn't slow.

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