The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced Friday morning that 155,000 jobs were created last month and the unemployment rate for December remained at 7.8% from the November revised rate; the original reported rate was 7.7%. The BLS said that jobs increased in construction, professional and business services, and health care; retail trade and public sector jobs decreased. The November jobs number was revised to 161,000 jobs created.
On Thursday the Labor Department announced that weekly jobless application claims rose to 372,000 ending the week of Dec. 29. ADP, a private payroll processor announced on Thursday that their monthly survey showed that in December 215,000 jobs were created. In November they estimated that 148,000 jobs were added.
The BLS surveys about 140,000 businesses and government agencies in order to provide industry figures on worker's employment, hours and earnings in the United States. They release on the first Friday of every month their employment estimates which include the unemployment rate, how many and where jobs were created and any revisions to the past months employment situation.