The U.S. added 50,000 jobs in December, the federal government reported Friday, a downturn from the prior month and a lower figure than Wall Street had anticipated.
The figure is a decrease from the revised November total of 56,000, and investors had predicted a payroll increase of 73,000.
Stock futures rose, anyway, on hopes the situation would spur another interest-rate cut from the Federal Reserve.
The unemployment rate was 4.4% for December. That’s down from 4.6% in November, indicating a better alignment between job seekers and available positions, but it is up from the 4% recorded last January.
Health care continued to be a bright spot in the labor market, adding about 38,000 jobs, while construction (down 11,000) and manufacturing (down 8,000) have not yet realized gains from the Made-in-USA boom that President Trump promised.
All told, payroll employment rose by 584,000 in 2025, or an average monthly gain of 49,000. The U.S. added 2 million jobs in 2024.
“Just 11 months of Donald Trump have thrown the job market into chaos. Jobs cuts are skyrocketing, hiring has slowed, and unemployment is still high — and working families are being squeezed as prices continue to soar,” Democratic National Committee spokeswoman Kendall Witmer said. “And what is Trump doing about it? He’s running a foreign country that taxpayers are forced to bankroll.”
The overall economy has been in solid shape, however, with stock market highs and gross domestic product growing at robust rates.
“The economy is growing faster than the so-called Washington experts predicted, and this spring, families can expect bigger paychecks and the largest tax refunds in history that will further help Americans recover from the Democrats’ inflation crisis,” Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith, Missouri Republican, said.
Central bankers, despite fears of stubborn inflation, opted for three successive rate cuts late this year due to concerns about unemployment.
The report may prod them to consider another cut at their January meeting.
Layoffs were high in 2025, and economists say a confluence of factors might be to blame for the hiring morass.
The Trump administration cut many federal government positions and launched a crackdown on the hiring of illegal immigrants, which could bring down the job numbers. Some companies also may be easing off on hiring after a rush to bring in workers in previous years.
Economists say many firms are cost-cutting this year, resulting in layoffs, and the artificial intelligence boom might be replacing some white-collar positions.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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