(CNN) — Hiring slowed at the end of last year, as employers added an estimated 50,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate dipped to 4.4%, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday.
December’s estimated job gains, which are subject to revision, capped off what was a sluggish year for the US labor market.
2025 was the weakest year of employment growth outside of recession years since 2003, BLS data shows.
The labor market, which was already slowing heading into 2025, cooled sharply as hiring stalled out across most industries, a pullback economists attributed to high uncertainty (in part due to massive shifts in trade and immigration policy) as well as stubborn inflation and high interest rates.
Economists were expecting a net gain of 55,000 jobs in December and an unemployment rate of 4.5%.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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