January 6, 2017
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 156,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.7%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Job growth occurred in health care and social assistance.
The unemployment rate, at 4.7 percent, and the number of unemployed persons, at 7.5 million, changed little in December. However, both measures edged down in the fourth quarter, after showing little net change earlier in the year.