WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs in December, a steady gain that shows hiring held up during the tense negotiations to resolve the fiscal cliff.
The solid job growth wasn’t enough to push down the unemployment rate, which stayed at 7.8 percent last month, the Labor Department said today. The rate for November was revised up from an initially reported 7.7 percent.
Stock futures inched higher after the report was released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time.
Robust hiring in manufacturing and construction fueled the December job gains. Construction firms added 30,000, the most in 15 months. That increase likely reflected hiring needed to rebuild after Superstorm Sandy and also gains in home building that have contributed to a housing recovery.
Manufacturers added 25,000 jobs, the most in nine months.
Even with the gains, hiring isn’t strong enough to reduce still-high unemployment. For 2012, employers added 1.84 million jobs, an average of 153,000 jobs a month.
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