The U.S. economy gained 216,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7%, according to figures released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
December’s biggest job gains were in government (+52,000), leisure and hospitality (+40,000), health care (+38,000), social assistance (+21,000), retail trade (+17,000), construction (+17,000), and professional and business services (+13,000). Transportation and warehousing (-23,000) saw losses in December. Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; information; financial activities; and other services.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for teenagers (11.9%), Black workers (5.2%), Hispanic workers (5.0%), adult men (3.5%), White workers (3.5%), adult women (3.3%) and Asian American workers (3.1%) showed little change in December.
The number of long-term unemployed workers (those jobless for 27 weeks or longer) was little changed in December and accounted for 19.7% of the total number of people unemployed.