US employers add 292K jobs in December

Nonfarm payroll employment in the U.S. grew by 292,000 jobs in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was unchanged at 5 percent, according to a news release.

The BLS this morning reported job gains in professional and business services, construction, health care, food services and drinking places, transportation and warehousing, and motion pictures and sound recording.

Employment in professional and business services rose by 73,000 in December, led by 34,000 jobs in temporary help services, according to the release.

Construction employers added 45,000 jobs last month. During the year, the industry netted 263,000 new positions.

Health care employment rose by 39,000, with the majority in ambulatory health care services, at 23,000, and hospitals, 12,000, according to the release.

Employers in the food services and drinking places industry boosted job ranks by 23,000, led by a 15,000-job gain in couriers and messengers.

According to the release, transportation and warehousing employers hired an additional 23,000 people in December.

The motion pictures and sound recording sector within the information industry boosted employment by 15,000, following a 13,000-job decline the previous month.

Contrastly, the mining industry lost 8,000 jobs, capping off a year of 129,000 position decreases, according to the release.

The BLS reports 7.9 million people were unemployed in December, which was flat from November.