US adds 256,000 jobs in December as unemployment rate softens

Unemployment at 4.1%

The US economy added 256,000 jobs in December, with the surge backed by rising trends in the healthcare, retail trade and government.

Total nonfarm payrolls published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics today (10 January) came in above market expectations as economists polled by Reuters expected that figure to stand at 160,000. The employment data for December marked a significant increase from the downwardly-revised figure of 212,000 jobs added in November. Investors bank on US GDP growth above 2% but 'raging optimism' might make it less likely Meanwhile, the unemployment rate decreased from 4.2% in November to 4.1% last month, a level it has remained at for the past seven months. The largest increase i...