❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Department of Labor’s latest report showed slower hiring and significant downward revisions to job figures for October and November 2025.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), economists, and analysts monitoring employment trends.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Data was released Friday, January 9, 2026, reflecting U.S. employment trends for December 2025 and revisions for prior months.
🎯IMPACT: Employment figures for October and November were revised down by 76,000 jobs, underscoring fragility in the labor market.
The U.S. labor market is weaker than previously thought, according to new jobs data released by the Department of Labor. December saw only 50,000 jobs added to the U.S. economy, a decline from the initially reported 64,000 jobs in November. The jobs report, released on Friday, also included a revision for November’s nonfarm payroll, reducing the total number of jobs added from 64,000 to 56,000.
Additionally, the 105,000 jobs lost in October were revised upward to 173,000. All in all, the data reveals that U.S. employment across the final two months of 2025 was 76,000 jobs lower than previously reported.
Despite the weakening job market, the unemployment rate ticked down in December to 4.4 percent from 4.6 percent in November. When President Donald J. Trump took office in January of 2025, the unemployment rate stood at 4.0 percent, with the rate holding relatively steady throughout the first year of his second term.
The weak jobs numbers are likely to spur the Federal Reserve to continue reducing interest rates in an effort to boost liquidity and overall employment. In December, the central bank initiated its third interest rate cut for the year, with economists anticipating at least one more cut in the first quarter of 2026.
Join Pulse+ to comment below, and receive exclusive e-mail analyses.