2024.01.0512:36:00UTC+00U.S. Employment Jumps Much More Than Expected In December

A closely watched report released by the Labor Department on Friday showed employment in the U.S. jumped by much more than expected in the month of December.

The Labor Department said non-farm payroll employment surged by 216,000 jobs in December after climbing by a downwardly revised 173,000 jobs in November.

Economists had expected employment to increase by 170,000 jobs compared to the addition of 199,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.

Meanwhile, the report said the unemployment rate came in at 3.7 percent in December, unchanged from November. Economists had expected the unemployment rate to inch up to 3.8 percent.