Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2018-01-05

Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 148,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1 percent. Employment increased in health care, construction, and manufacturing. Job growth totaled 2.1 million in 2017, compared with a gain of 2.2 million in 2016. Incorporating revisions for October and November, which decreased nonfarm payroll employment by 9,000 on net, monthly job gains have averaged 204,000 over the past 3 months. In December, employment in health care increased by 31,000. Over the month, employment continued to trend up in ambulatory health care services (+15,000) and hospitals (+12,000). In 2017, health care added 300,000 jobs, less than the increase of 379,000 jobs in 2016. Construction added 30,000 jobs in December. Specialty trade contractors accounted for most of the gain (+24,000).