U.S. payrolls rose 50,000 in December, less than expected; unemployment rate at 4.4%

Economy

U.S. payrolls rose 50,000 in December, less than expected; unemployment rate at 4.4%

Published Fri, Jan 9 2026

8:31 AM EST

thumbnailJeff Cox@jeff.cox.7528@JeffCoxCNBCcomWATCH LIVE

Nonfarm payrolls were expected to rise by 73,000 in December as the unemployment rate moved lower to 4.5%, according to the Dow Jones consensus estimate.

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