The U.S. economy added 199,000 jobs in December – well below the 300,000+ expected – as the unemployment rate fell to 3.9%, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Most of the job gains were in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, manufacturing, construction, and transportation and warehousing.
The number of unemployed persons decreased by 483,000 to 6.3 million.
In February 2020, prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the unemployment rate was