U.S. economy adds a disappointing 199,000 jobs in December

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

published 7 January 2022

The U.S. economy added significantly fewer jobs in December than expected.

The Labor Department said Friday the economy added 199,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate declined to 3.9 percent. It was a disappointing number after economists had expected over 400,000 jobs would be added, according to CNBC. "Employment continued to trend up in leisure and hospitality, in professional and business services, in manufacturing, in construction, and in transportation and warehousing," the Labor Department said.

The latest report came as COVID-19 cases have surged in the United States amid the spread of the Omicron variant, although The New York Times notes the Friday report is based on data collected in the middle of December, prior to the record-breaking number of cases in the past two weeks. The U.S. previously added only 210,000 jobs in November, which was also under expectations after economists were expecting nearly 600,000, though The Wall Street Journal noted the U.S. added a record number of jobs during 2021 as a whole.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox