Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2017-01-06

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 156,000 in December, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.7 percent. Job growth occurred in health care and social assistance. In 2016, job gains averaged 180,000 per month, slower than the average increase of 229,000 per month in 2015. Incorporating revisions for October and November, which increased nonfarm payroll employment by 19,000 on net, monthly job gains have averaged 165,000 over the past 3 months. Employment in health care increased by 43,000 in December. Health care added an average of 35,000 jobs per month in 2016, roughly in line with growth in 2015 (+39,000 per month). Ambulatory health care services added 30,000 jobs in December, including a gain in outpatient care centers (+7,000). Hospitals added 11,000 jobs over the month.