BLS Reports 50,000 Jobs Added While Unemployment Dips To 4.4%, Reinforcing Signs Of Economic Stabilization

Friday, January 9, 2026, 11:30 A.M. ET. 4 Minute Read, By Haylee Ficuciello, Economy & Finance Editor: Englebrook Independent News,

WASHINGTON, DC.- The U.S. labor market ended 2025 on increasingly stable ground as employers added 50,000 jobs in December, slightly below the 60,000 jobs projected by LSEG economists, while the national unemployment rate declined from 4.5% in November to 4.4% in December, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

     While payroll growth came in modestly under expectations, the simultaneous drop in unemployment and steady wage gains point to an economy that continues to strengthen beneath the surface, particularly as domestic services, healthcare, and consumer-driven industries remain in expansion mode entering 2026.

Headline Labor Market Numbers;

• Nonfarm Payroll Growth (December 2025): +50,000
• LSEG Forecast: +60,000
• Unemployment Rate: 4.4% (down from 4.5% in November)
• Total Unemployed Americans: approximately 7.5 million

     Economists generally consider monthly payroll differences of 10,000 jobs to be within a normal statistical range, especially during December when seasonal hiring and post-holiday adjustments can distort short-term trends.

Where Jobs Were Added;

     December hiring was concentrated in essential service sectors that reflect underlying economic demand:

• Food Services and Drinking Places: +27,000
• Health Care: +21,000, including +16,000 in hospitals
• Social Assistance: +17,000

     These sectors continue to benefit from rising consumer activity, healthcare demand, and a growing service economy.

Retail Declines Remain Seasonal;

• Retail Trade:–25,000
  • Warehouse clubs and general merchandise stores: –19,000
  • Food and beverage retailers: –9,000

     Retail employment typically contracts after the holiday season, making December’s declines consistent with historical patterns rather than economic weakness.

Wages And Hours Signal Stability;

Worker pay continued to rise:

• Average Hourly Earnings: $37.02
• Monthly Increase: +$0.12 (0.3%)
• Year-Over-Year Growth: +3.8%

Hours worked remained steady:

• Average Workweek: 34.2 hours
• Manufacturing Workweek: 39.9 hours

     These trends suggest employers are maintaining payrolls and work schedules in anticipation of sustained demand.

Trump-Policy Economic Impact;

     Supporters of President Trump point to several policy drivers that have helped underpin labor market stability:

• Energy expansion and deregulation have lowered production and transportation costs for manufacturers and logistics firms.
• Targeted tax incentives for domestic investment have encouraged companies to expand U.S.-based operations rather than shift production overseas.
• Trade realignment efforts have strengthened demand for American-made goods, benefiting transportation, warehousing, and industrial services.

     These factors have helped sustain hiring in consumer-facing industries even as global economic growth has slowed.

Haylee Ficuciello’s 18-Month Economic Analysis;

     Over the past eighteen months, I have tracked a broad set of economic indicators, including payroll growth, wage trends, labor participation, consumer spending, and inflation-adjusted purchasing power, to determine whether the U.S. economy is genuinely improving or merely fluctuating.

     What the data show is a slow but measurable strengthening of the U.S. economy under President Trump.

     Monthly job growth has cooled from the post-pandemic rebound, but that reflects stabilization, not weakness. Employers are hiring more deliberately and more sustainably, particularly in healthcare, services, logistics, and professional support industries.

     At the same time, wages have continued to rise, and in most service-sector categories, they are now outpacing inflation. That means working families are regaining purchasing power, the foundation of long-term economic growth.

     The drop in unemployment from 4.5% in November to 4.4% in December fits into a broader pattern I have documented showing that labor demand remains strong even when hiring slows. Businesses are retaining workers and competing for skilled employees.

     When combined with Trump’s focus on energy expansion, domestic investment, and supply-chain stability, these trends point to an economy that is not overheating or stalling but gradually strengthening into a more durable, balanced growth phase.

What Comes Next;

     Although December hiring fell short of the LSEG 60,000 forecast, falling unemployment, rising wages, and stable hiring across core service industries support continued economic momentum as 2026 begins.

Next Employment Report;

     The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the January 2026 employment data on Friday, February 6, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. ET.

Editor’s Note:

This article is based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Employment Situation, December 2025, released January 9, 2026, including payroll, unemployment, wage, and industry data. The 60,000-job projection reflects the LSEG economist consensus forecast prior to release. The economic outlook and trend analysis included in this article reflect Haylee Ficuciello’s 18-month economic evaluation of labor market, wage, and consumer-spending data, conducted for Englebrook Independent News.