The U.S. economy added 145,000 jobs in December as the unemployment rate stayed steady, according to data released Friday by the Labor Department.
The December jobs report met economists’ expectations of a gain between 145,000 to 155,000 jobs as hiring slowed slightly from November. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.5 percent, the lowest level in nearly 50 years, while the labor force participation rate also stayed even at 63.2 percent.
The economy has added an average of 186,000 each month since October after revisions released in Friday’s report. The U.S. added 152,000 jobs in October after the gain was revised down from 156,000, and added 256,000 jobs after the addition was revised down from 266,000 jobs.
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