Hiring in December was muted, though the unemployment rate inched down – a soft end to the 2025 labor market that revealed underlying signs of strain.
US employers added 50,000 jobs in December – a bit weaker than the already-slow monthly average gain of 55,000 in the first 11 months of 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.
It missed expectations of 73,000 added jobs, according to Dow Jones estimates.
The unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, after hitting 4.6% in November – its highest rate since 2021.
Revisions to previous months painted a picture of a weaker labor market, as nonfarm payroll employment for October and November was revised down by a combined 76,000 jobs.
December’s job report is the first on-schedule release since September following a record-breaking government shutdown.
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell last month warned that figures should be viewed with a skeptical eye as they may be distorted by gaps in the data.
Analysts have said it could take another month or two before reports normalize.
