Job growth was much stronger than expected in December, likely providing the Federal Reserve less incentive to cut interest rates this year. Nonfarm payrolls surged by 256,000 for the month, up from 212,000 in November and above the 155,000 forecast from ...

The Labor Department released its jobs report for December, which showed the U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs last month, well above economists' expectations.

The December jobs report from the Labor Department is expected to show slower growth before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

U.S. job growth unexpectedly accelerated in December while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% as the labor market ended the year on a solid footing, reinforcing views that the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates unchanged this month.

The economy created 256,000 jobs in December, much stronger than what was predicted by Wall Street experts and more than 40,000 from the previous month, the Labor Department in its report released on Friday.

The U.S. added 256,000 jobs in December, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. The number may give the Federal Reserve less incentive to cut interest rates this year.