December’s job report featured a loss of 85,000 jobs, which was higher than expected by most economists, but the national unemployment rate remained the same at 10.0%. The largest job losses were in construction, manufacturing and wholesale trade.

The December report was anxiously awaited to determine if November’s BLS report was an indication of a recovery, or an exception. While this report certainly showed that an economic recovery will not occur quickly, a positive sign was the modification of November’s jobs report, which changed from a loss of 11,000 jobs to a gain of 4,000.

An additional bright spot came again in temporary jobs, which gained 47,000, showcasing the professional and business services sector. Unemployment rates varied across education levels ranging from 15.3% for people with less than a high school diploma, to 5.0% for college (or beyond college) graduates. The average work week remained the same, and average hourly earnings increased .03 an hour.

SOURCE: Labor Department