WASHINGTON: The US economy started 2025 with 143000 new jobs.
This was below expectations, but the unemployment rate fell to 4%.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released these figures on Friday.
A revised report showed weaker job growth in 2024 than initially estimated.
Employment Growth
Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 143,000 jobs last month.
The average monthly gain in 2024 was 166,000 jobs.
Job increases occurred in health care, retail trade, and social assistance.
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction industries saw job losses.
Unemployment Rate
The unemployment rate declined slightly to 4.0% in January.
There were 6.8 million unemployed people, a number that changed little.
Adult men and women had an unemployment rate of 3.7%.
Teen unemployment remained high at 11.8%.
Workforce Trends
Long-term unemployment, affecting those jobless for over 27 weeks, remained steady at 1.4 million.
This group made up 21.1% of all unemployed individuals.
Labor force participation stayed at 62.6%, showing no major change.
The employment-population ratio held steady at 60.1%.
Part-Time Workers
The number of people working part-time for economic reasons was 4.5 million.
These workers preferred full-time jobs but faced reduced hours.
The number of people wanting jobs but not actively searching stood at 5.5 million.
Discouraged workers, believing no jobs were available, totaled 592,000.
Industry Highlights
Health care added 44,000 jobs, mainly in hospitals and home health services.
Retail trade employment increased by 34,000 jobs, led by general merchandise stores.
Social assistance added 22,000 jobs, mostly in family support services.
Government jobs continued to rise, adding 32,000 positions.
Wage Increases
Average hourly earnings increased by 17 cents, reaching $35.87.
Over 12 months, wages grew by 4.1%.
Production and non-supervisory workers saw a 16-cent increase.
The average workweek slightly declined to 34.1 hours.
Revised Estimates
Job gains in November and December were adjusted upward.
November’s total was revised to 261,000 jobs.
December’s employment gain increased to 307,000 jobs.
Overall, revisions added 100,000 more jobs than initially reported.
Annual Adjustments
The latest population adjustments affected employment statistics.
New estimates increased the labor force size by 2.1 million.
Unemployment estimates rose slightly due to these adjustments.
The updated figures help refine labor market trends.
