December US Jobs Report: 256,000 Rise in Payrolls, Above Expectations

The US economy added 256,000 jobs in December, according to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The government’s report revised down previous estimates for new job creation in December and revised down previous estimates for November.

The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% in December from 4.2% in November.

Economists predicted an increase in nonfarm payroll employment of 153,000 in December, according to FactSet. The unemployment rate had been forecast to hold steady at 4.2%.

December Jobs Report Key Stats

• Total nonfarm payrolls rose by 256,000 versus a downward revised 212,000 in November.
• The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1% from 4.2% in November.
• Average hourly wages rose by 0.3% to $35.69 after rising 0.4% in November.

In December, average hourly wages rose by 10 cents, or 0.3%, to $35.69. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have risen by 3.9%.

The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 34.3 in December. For manufacturing employees, the average workweek rose to 40.4 hours in December, and overtime was unchanged at 3.1 hours. For production and nonsupervisory employees, the average workweek lengthened to 34.1 hours from 33.7 the prior month.