At a Glance
- Employers added 50,000 jobs in December, and the unemployment rate declined to 4.4%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Total job growth in 2025 was 584,000, the slowest annual increase since 2020.
- Wage growth remained steady, with average hourly earnings up 3.8% year over year.
OKLAHOMA CITY (OBV) — The U.S. labor market ended 2025 with modest hiring and low unemployment, though overall job growth slowed significantly compared with recent years. Federal data released Friday show payroll gains concentrated in a limited number of sectors, alongside downward revisions to prior months.
Additional Details
- October and November job gains were revised down by a combined 76,000 jobs.
- Average hourly earnings rose 0.3% in December.
- Prime-age labor force participation (ages 25–54) held steady at 83.8%.
- Youth unemployment (ages 16–24) declined slightly to 10.4%.
Sector Employment
- Health care added 21,000 jobs in December.
- Food services and drinking places gained 27,000 jobs.
- Retail trade lost 25,000 jobs.
- Manufacturing employment declined again, with a net loss of 68,000 jobs in 2025.
- Construction employment fell by 11,000 jobs in December.
- Professional and business services lost 9,000 jobs in December and 97,000 jobs over the year.
- Temporary help services declined by 5,700 jobs.
Hours and Work Patterns
- Average weekly hours for production and nonsupervisory workers declined to 41.2 hours.
- The average manufacturing workweek fell to 39.9 hours, matching a recent low outside the pandemic period.
- The number of people working part time for economic reasons declined by nearly 150,000 in December, though it remains nearly one million higher than a year earlier.
Broader Context
- Gross domestic product grew at a 4.3% annualized rate in the third quarter of 2025.
- Productivity increased 4.9% over the same period.
- Financial markets showed limited movement following the report, with stocks opening modestly higher and bond yields edging up.
