U.S. Added 312,000 Jobs in December; Unemployment at 3.9%

By Natalie Kitroeff
Jan. 4, 2019

The Labor Department released its official hiring and unemployment figures for December on Friday morning, offering the latest picture of the American economy.

The Numbers

■ 312,000 jobs were added last month. Wall Street analysts had anticipated an increase of about 180,000. It was the biggest monthly gain since 324,000 jobs were added in February. Including revisions, the monthly average for October, November and December was 254,000.

■ The unemployment rate rose to 3.9 percent. November’s jobless rate was 3.7 percent.

■ The average hourly wage rose by 3.2 percent from a year earlier.

The Takeaway

In the last couple of months, as stocks swayed and concern over the prospect of a recession ensued, the labor market was relatively steady. And December’s numbers ended the year with a flourish.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/04/b...bs-report.html