The U.S. economy added 155,000 payrolls in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The government shed 13,000 payrolls in December while the private sector added 168,000 new payrolls.
Payroll growth for November was revised upward by 15,000 payrolls and now stands at 161,000 for the month.
Additional detail:
- The largest expansions in payrolls in December came from education and health care services, which added 65,000 payrolls. Leisure and hospitality added 31,000 payrolls, while construction (up 30,000 payrolls) and manufacturing (up 25,000 payrolls) carried goods-producing industries' employment levels higher over the month.
- Contracting sectors over the month included retail, which gave back 11,000 payrolls after November's large gains. The information sector shed 9,000 payrolls, while government gave up 13,000 payrolls over the month.