WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. economy has added 50,000 non-farm payroll jobs in December, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The December figure fell short of the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the Dow Jones estimate for 73,000, according to CNBC.
The BLS also revised downward the employment figures for October, from a loss of 68,000 jobs to -173,000. Over the course of 2025, payroll gains averaged 49,000 per month, compared with 168,000 in 2024.
Meanwhile, the unemployment rate edged down slightly to 4.4 percent, which reflected small shifts in the household survey rather than a surge in hiring.
Federal government employment changed little in December (+2,000), but since reaching a peak in January, employment is down by 277,000 jobs.
Additionally, retail trade lost 25,000 jobs in December. Over the month, employment declined in warehouse clubs, supercenters and other general merchandise retailers (-19,000) and food-and-beverage retailers (-9,000). However, electronics and appliance retailers added 5,000 jobs.
Jobs gains in December were primarily concentrated in service-oriented sectors, such as food services and drinking places (+27,000), healthcare (21,000) and social assistance (17,000).
Employment showed little or no change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying and oil-and-gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; transportation and warehousing; information; financial activities; and professional and business services.