National unemployment rate drops to 6.7%

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped three tenths of a point to 6.7 percent in December.

Employers added 74,000 jobs last month, part of the downward move from a 7 percent unemployment rate in November, according to a news release from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Still, the report was disappointing news for some economists and policy makers, who had expected the economy would add nearly 200,000 jobs in December, according to a report in the New York Times.

The number of unemployed in the U.S. dropped by 490,000 to 10.4 million in December. Employment rose in retail trade and wholesale trade, but fell in information, the release said.

Retail trade employment increased by 55,000 positions in December, led by 12,000 jobs in food and beverage stores and 12,000 positions in clothing and accessories stores. Wholesale trade improved by 15,000 jobs last month, with most of the growth - 9,000 jobs - coming from electronic markets and agents and brokers.

Information employment dropped by 12,000 in December, driven by a 14,000 position decrease in the motion picture and sound recording industry, according to the release.[[In-content Ad]]