2025 was the weakest year of job growth since the pandemic : NPR
NPR••business
Key Points:
- U.S. employers added only 50,000 jobs in December, marking the weakest year for job growth since the pandemic began, with total employment gains in 2025 at 584,000 compared to 2 million in 2024.
- The unemployment rate slightly decreased to 4.4% in December from 4.5% in November, but job gains for October and November were revised downward by 76,000 jobs.
- Health care and hospitality were among the few sectors adding jobs, while manufacturing lost 8,000 jobs in December, continuing a 10-month slump exacerbated by tariffs and rising component costs.
- Federal government employment added 2,000 jobs in December but remains down 277,
