Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2019-01-04

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 increased by 312,000 in December, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.9 percent. Health care, food services and drinking places, construction, manufacturing, and retail trade added jobs over the month. Job growth totaled 2.6 million in 2018, compared with a gain of 2.2 million jobs in 2017. Incorporating revisions for October and November, which increased payrolls by 58,000, monthly job gains averaged 254,000 over the past 3 months. In December, health care added 50,000 jobs. Within the industry, employment rose in ambulatory care services (+38,000) and hospitals (+7,000). Health care added 346,000 jobs in 2018, more than the gain of 284,000 jobs in 2017. Employment in food services and drinking places rose by 41,000 in December.