Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release - 2021 M13 Results — 2022-01-07

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 199,000 in December, and the unemployment rate declined by 0.3 percentage point to 3.9 percent. Employment continued to trend up in leisure and hospitality, in professional and business services, in manufacturing, in construction, and in transportation and warehousing. In 2021, job growth averaged 537,000 per month. Employment has increased by 18.8 million since April 2020 but is down by 3.6 million, or 2.3 percent, from its level before the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in February 2020. Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up in December (+53,000). The industry has added 2.6 million jobs in 2021, accounting for 4 in 10 total nonfarm payroll jobs added over the year. Since February 2020, employment in leisure and hospitality is down by 1.2 million, or 7.2 percent. Employment in food services and drinking places rose by 43,000 in December but is down by 653,000 since February 2020.