The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released its December employment report on Friday, showing that total nonfarm employment increased by 156,000 while the national unemployment rate ticked up one-tenth of a point to 4.7 percent from November as the labor force grew.
Factory jobs jumped by 17,000 during December, following a loss of 4,000 in November. Durable goods manufacturing was responsible for 15,000 of those job gains. The December manufacturing unemployment rate was 4.0 percent, with durable goods at 3.7 percent and nondurable goods at 4.5 percent.
Construction's unemployment rate is 7.4 percent, while mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction's is 3.7 percent.
- Fabricated metal products jobs were the biggest gainer with 5.800 jobs, following a 1,600 loss in November
- Machinery jobs were flat
- Transportation equipment jobs were flat
- Plastics and rubber products jobs were up 2,200
- Food manufacturing was flat
Wholesale trade gained 2,000 jobs in December, with durable goods adding 1,500 and nondurable goods losing 500. Transportation and warehousing gained a combined 14,700 jobs.
- Warehousing and storage added 1,600 jobs in Decenber, following November's gain of 3,100. That category added a combined 8,000 jobs over the past three months, powered by retail warehousing surge for the holiday season.
- Building material and garden supply stores added 1,500 jobs, while truck transportation added 1,400.
Wholesale and retail's December unemployment rate was 4.6 percent.
