Key Points:
- Total nonfarm payroll employment declined by 140,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 6.7%.
- December’s decline ended 7 months of consecutive job growth.
- Employment in leisure and hospitality declined by 498,000, employment in the amusements, gambling, and recreation industry declined by 92,000, Government employment declined by 45,000, and the accommodation industry declined 24,000.
- Employment in professional and business services increased by 161,000, retail trade added 121,000 jobs, construction added 51,000 jobs, health care added 39,000 jobs, and manufacturing employment increased by 38,000.
- In December, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 23 cents to $29.81.
- The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls declined by 0.1 hour to 34.7 hours in December.