US jobless rate slides to 8.5 pc in Dec, 2 lakh jobs added
In fresh signs of an improving American labour market, the US added two lakh new jobs in the month of December, which also saw a drop in the unemployment rate to 8.5 per cent, according to the latest government figures released today.
The December unemployment rate was lower than expected, as the same was anticipated to be around 8.7 per cent last month.
“Non-farm payroll employment rose by 2,00,000 in December and the unemployment rate, at 8.5 per cent, continued to trend down,” Bureau of Labour Statistics Commissioner Keith Hall said, releasing the latest job figures.
Job gains occurred in transportation and warehousing, retail trade, manufacturing, health care and mining, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics said in a statement today.
While employment in transportation and warehousing rose by 50,000 in December, the couriers and messengers industry accounted for almost all of the gains (+42,000), as seasonal hiring was particularly strong in December.
“This may reflect increased online purchasing during the holiday season,” said Hall.
Since August, the unemployment rate has declined by 0.6 percentage points.
The unemployment rate stood at 8.7 per cent in November.
The encouraging employment numbers come against the backdrop of rising global economic uncertainty, especially due to the European debt turmoil.
In December, the unemployment rate for adult men declined to 8 per cent. "The jobless rates for adult women (7.9 per cent), teenagers (23.1 per cent), whites (7.5 per cent), blacks (15.8 per cent) and Hispanics (11 per cent) showed little change," the statement noted.
Last month, the number of long-term unemployed – those
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