U.S. Economy Adds Only 50,000 Jobs to End Weak 2025

The U.S. economy added just 50,000 jobs in December, according to the latest Labor Department data published, amid broader concerns about a cooling job market as out-of-work Americans struggle to land roles, Emma Ockerman reported for Yahoo Finance.

Statistics show the recent figures to be the slowest annual growth outside of recessions." (Photo: U.S. Department of Labor X)

The unemployment rate declined to 4.4% from 4.5% in November. A Bloomberg survey of economists had estimated a median gain of 70,000 jobs and a 4.5% unemployment rate in the final jobs report for 2025.

Revised data for November showed a gain of 56,000 jobs rather than the previously reported 64,000, the Labor Department said, while revised data for October showed a loss of 173,000 jobs compared with the earlier reported decline of 105,000.

The meager growth—which has been driven by gains in healthcare and social services—is likely to be revised even lower, Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told Yahoo Finance.

In all, monthly payroll growth for the year, including December’s data, averaged 49,000, Jed Kolko, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), said in a post on X.

“That’s the slowest annual growth outside of recessions,” Kolko said. “Immigration policy slowed workforce growth, which has held back job growth.”

Payrolls rose by a total of 584,000 in 2025, the Labor Department said, compared with 2 million jobs added in 2024.