LONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Euro zone government bond

yields fell for a fourth consecutive day on Friday as investors

waited for the latest monthly U.S. employment report.

Data this week has suggested the all-important U.S. economy

is slowing, with job openings rising and manufacturing weak. But

the most important release for markets is the U.S. non-farm

payrolls report due at 8.30 a.m. ET (1230 GMT) on Friday, which

is expected to show a slight pickup in employment in August.

Germany's 10-year bond yield, the benchmark for

the euro zone bloc, fell 2.7 basis points (bps) to 2.18%, its

lowest since Aug. 22. Yields move inversely to prices.

Italy's 10-year yield was 2.4 bps lower​ at

3.55%, and the gap between Italian and German bond yields

was almost unchanged at 136 bps.

Germany's two-year bond yield, which is more

sensitive to European Central Bank rate expectations, was down

1.9 bps at 2.276%, the lowest since Aug. 5.