The surprising 256,000 increase in new jobs in December and a declining unemployment rate is good news, but the latest employment reports masks recent softness in the labor market. The increase in new jobs in December, for example, was centered on just four industries: Health care, government, retail and leisure and hospitality.

A hot December jobs report has many strategists confident the Federal Reserve will hold off on further interest rate cuts for now. And some on Wall Street think this report may have even cracked the door open for the Fed to consider rate hikes in 2025.

Before the strong December jobs report was released, the odds were already low for an interest rate cut in the next Federal Reserve decision on January 29.

The Labor Department reported that employers added 256,000 jobs in December. Unemployment drops to 4.1%. Read the implications of this report on the Fed policy.

The US economy closed out 2024 with another month of massive job growth, adding 256,000 positions in December.

"I think really the market is saying maybe no rate cuts in 2025, and that the 10-year could very easily break well above 5%," Jeremy Siegel said.

The U.S. job market again defied an anticipated slowdown, with firms adding more than a quarter of a million jobs in the last full month of Joe Biden's presidency and leaving Federal Reserve policymakers to puzzle over the need for more interest rate cuts in a strong economy.

US hiring picked up unexpectedly in December as employers added 256,000 jobs, another sign of the economy’s resilience in the face of high interest rates. The Labor Department reported Friday that job growth was up last month from 212,

Key Takeaways The odds of the Federal Reserve cutting its benchmark interest rate this year fell after a jobs report Friday showed hiring in December blew past expectations.Strong job growth means less pressure on the Fed to cut interest rates to save the economy and prevent layoffs.

Employers added 256,000 jobs in December, far exceeding economists' expectations and signaling that the job market remains resilient in the face of still-high borrowing rates and stickier-than-expected inflation.