WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Labor Department released a closely watched report on Friday showing employment in the U.S. increased by less than expected in the month of December.
The report said non-farm payroll employment rose by 50,000 jobs in December after climbing by a downwardly revised 56,000 jobs in November.
Economists had expected employment to rise by 60,000 jobs compared to the addition of 64,000 jobs originally reported for the previous month.
Meanwhile, the Labor Department said the unemployment rate edged down to 4.4 percent in December from a revised 4.5 percent in November.
The unemployment rate was expected to slip to 4.5 percent from the 4.6 percent originally reported for the previous month.
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