(Bloomberg) — The US economy in December added the most jobs since March and the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell, capping a surprisingly strong year and supporting the case for a pause in Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts.
Most Read from Bloomberg
Nonfarm payrolls increased 256,000, exceeding all but one forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1%, while average hourly earnings rose 0.3% from November, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed Friday.
Follow the reaction in real time here on Bloomberg’s TOPLive blog
Treasury yields and the dollar surged and S&P 500 futures sank following the release as traders pushed back expectations for another reduction to later in the year.
Friday’s report confirms the labor market held up last year despite high borrowing costs, lingering inflation and political uncertainty. While demand for workers moderated and the unemployment rate rose in 2024, the economy still added 2.2 million jobs — below the 3 million increase in 2023 but above the 2 million created in 2019.
The Fed’s focus has returned firmly to inflation following an upturn in recent months, with several officials signaling they may hold rates steady for a while after lowering borrowing costs by a full percentage point in 2024. The BLS will publish monthly data on consumer prices on Jan. 15.
December’s advance in payrolls was led by health care and social assistance, retail trade and leisure and hospitality. Government payrolls also advanced. Manufacturing shed positions for the fourth time in five months, bringing total job losses in 2024 to 87,000.
The participation rate — the share of the population that is working or looking for work — was unchanged at 62.5%. The rate for workers of ages 25-54, also known as prime-age workers, was also unchanged.
The figures also showed fewer people permanently lost their jobs and more workers left positions voluntarily, while the median duration of unemployment ticked lower.
Central bankers are paying close attention to how labor supply and demand dynamics are impacting wage gains. Friday’s report showed average hourly earnings increased 3.9% from a year ago. Earnings for nonsupervisory employees, who make up the majority of workers, advanced 0.2% from November and 3.8% from a year earlier, marking the slowest annual pace since mid-2021.
Story continues
The jobs report is comprised of two surveys — one of businesses and the other of households. The report included revisions to the household survey, which left the overall picture of the labor market largely intact. Notably, the rate in July — which was initially reported as 4.3% and helped lay the groundwork for a large rate cut in September — was revised lower.
What Bloomberg Economics Says…
“December’s jobs report was solid across the board. While we expected the strong showing in the establishment survey, the significant employment gains in the household survey – including a drop in the unemployment rate — surprised us. We take that as an encouraging sign that the job market may be stabilizing after it deteriorated steadily over the second half of 2024.”
— Bloomberg economists led by Anna Wong
To read the full note, click here
Revisions to the payrolls survey will be released in next month’s report. A preliminary estimate in August suggested job growth in the year through March 2024 would be marked down by the most since 2009.
Though data on weekly filings for unemployment insurance suggest layoffs remained subdued in 2024, several big-name companies including BlackRock Inc. and Tyson Foods Inc. have revealed plans to reduce headcount this year. In 2024, companies announced the fewest hires in almost a decade, according to a report from executive-coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
It also remains to be seen how President-elect Donald Trump’s economic agenda — particularly plans for mass deportations and punitive tariffs on imported goods — will impact the labor market.
–With assistance from Chris Middleton, Molly Smith, Nazmul Ahasan, Maria Clara Cobo and Ye Xie.
(Updates with Bloomberg Economics comment.)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2025 Bloomberg L.P.