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.
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Glassdoor senior economist Daniel Zhao wrote Friday that the December report was a "disappointing bookend to a historic year in the job market," which also "highlights that the pandemic remains a barrier to many Americans who would otherwise be available to work."
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