Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 256,000 in December, and the unemployment rate changed little at 4.1 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Employment trended up in health care, government, and social assistance. Retail trade added jobs in December, following a job loss in November. This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more information about the concepts and ... (full story)

Job growth was much stronger than expected in December, possibly providing the Federal Reserve less incentive to cut interest rates this year. Nonfarm payrolls surged by 256,000 for the month, up from 212,000 in November and above the 155,000 forecast from the Dow Jones consensus, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.1%, one-tenth of a point below expectations. Stock market futures were negative after the report’s release while Treasury yields soared. The report brings to a close a year in which employment grew each month, though inconsistently and at times raising ... (full story)