U.S. payrolls rose 50,000 in December, less than expected; unemployment rate falls to 4.4% [View all]

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Source: CNBC

Published Fri, Jan 9 2026 8:31 AM EST Updated 19 Min Ago


The U.S. labor market ended 2025 on a soft note, with job creation in December less than expected, according to a report Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 50,000 for the month, lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the Dow Jones estimate for 73,000.

At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, compared to the forecast for 4.5%.



A more encompassing measure that includes discouraged workers and those holding part-time jobs for economic reasons dropped to 8.4%, down 0.3 percentage point from November. The household survey, which is used to calculate the unemployment figures, showed an increase of 232,000 while the labor force participation rate edged lower to 62.4%.

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/01/09/jobs-report-december-2025.html

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Both payroll employment (+50,000) and unemployment rate (4.4%) change little in December #BLSData https://bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_01092026.htm
8:31 AM · Jan 9, 2026

Article updated.

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Published Fri, Jan 9 2026 8:31 AM EST Updated 1 Min Ago


The U.S. labor market ended 2025 on a soft note, with job creation in December less than expected, according to a report Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 50,000 for the month, lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the Dow Jones estimate for 73,000.

At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, compared to the forecast for 4.5%.

Published Fri, Jan 9 2026 8:31 AM EST Updated 6 Min Ago


December less than expected, according to a report Friday from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Nonfarm payrolls rose a seasonally adjusted 50,000 for the month, lower than the downwardly revised 56,000 in November and short of the Dow Jones estimate for 73,000.

At the same time, the unemployment rate fell to 4.4%, compared to the forecast for 4.5%.


This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

Original article/headline -

U.S. payrolls rose 50,000 in December, less than expected; unemployment rate at 4.4

Published Fri, Jan 9 2026 8:31 AM EST


Nonfarm payrolls were expected to rise by 73,000 in December as the unemployment rate moved lower to 4.5%, according to the Dow Jones consensus estimate.


This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.