U.S. Job Growth Slows in December; 2025 Marks Weakest Year Since 2020
The U.S. economy added 50,000 jobs in December, concluding 2025 with the weakest job growth since 2020, as the unemployment rate edged down to 4.4%.
The U.S. economy added 50,000 jobs in December, marking the weakest annual job growth since 2020. The unemployment rate declined slightly to 4.4% from November's 4.5%.
Throughout 2025, the economy added a total of 584,000 jobs, averaging 49,000 per month. This is a significant drop from the over 2 million jobs added in each of the prior two years.
Job gains in December were primarily in the food services, health care, and social assistance sectors. Conversely, retail trade and manufacturing experienced notable job losses.
Revisions to previous months' data further highlight the labor market's challenges. October's job losses were adjusted from 105,000 to 173,000, and November's job gains were revised down from 64,000 to 56,000.
Average hourly earnings in December stood at $37.02, reflecting a 3.8% increase from the previous year.
The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring these developments, balancing efforts to control inflation with the need to support a cooling labor market.
Source
NBC NewsFirst reported
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