Jobs report: US economy adds 50,000 jobs in December to cap worst year of hiring since 2020

Source: Yahoo Finance

The US economy added 50,000 jobs in December, according to Labor Department data published Friday, culminating in the worst year for annual job growth outside of a recession since 2003.

Years marked by the financial crisis (2008) and the pandemic (2020) were worse. But even the meager gains seen in 2025 are likely to be further pared when jobs data is revised in the months to come.

The unemployment rate declined to 4.4% in December, unexpectedly falling from a revised 4.5% in November. A Bloomberg survey of economists had estimated a median gain of 70,000 jobs and a 4.5% unemployment rate in the final jobs report for 2025.

Revised data for November, meanwhile, showed a gain of 56,000 jobs rather than 64,000, the Labor Department said Friday, while revised data for October showed a loss of 173,000 jobs compared to the earlier reported decline of 105,000.

Read more: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/jobs-report-us-economy-adds-50000-jobs-in-december-to-cap-worst-year-of-hiring-since-2020-135246067.html