Jobs Report: Payrolls Added Only 49,000 Jobs per Month on Average in 2025
When retail trade sheds jobs in December, you know the job market is in trouble.
In a typical year, many retail establishments staff up. On average, the retail industry has added 14,000 jobs each December since 2015. Not so in 2025, as retail trade shed 25,000 jobs in the last month of the year.
The bad news doesn’t stop there. Per this morning’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers added 584,000 jobs in 2025 for an average monthly gain of 49,000 jobs. That’s less than a third of the 168,000 average monthly gain for 2024.
The monthly numbers aren’t inspiring, either: 50,000 jobs gained across the economy, compared to predictions of 60,000 jobs added, and an unemployment rate of 4.4%. As has been the case for months now, only a few industries were hiring in December, including healthcare, social assistance, and food services.
Economists aren’t panicking yet. Many describe this as a slowdown or a static job market, rather than a freefall.
However, we’ve been looking at jobs data for a long time, and we’ll be honest with you: we’ve never seen anything remotely like this. This is a tough, tough job market. Young workers who are looking for their first jobs are especially hard hit, but finding employment is a heavy lift for lots of people right now, including those in industries affected by trade policy or AI.
Sponsored by Remote Rocketship
Remote Rocketship scans the internet for remote job listings, and you’ll find over 100,000 remote roles, many of which aren’t listed on LinkedIn or job boards. You can search postings by job title, location, type of job, salary, company size, visa sponsorship, and more, and get daily emails when new remote jobs matching your criteria are posted. There’s also a link to the application page, company website, and LinkedIn page, which will help you avoid scams. The basic version is free. The premium version is $21 per month, with quarterly and annual discounts available.
Subscriber Discount: To access all the job listings, use promo code JOBHOPPER for a 20% discount.
Note: We may receive a small commission if you sign up using this link.
What Experts Are Saying
“Not much changed in the last month of the year — the labor market remains cooler than a few years ago, but not in imminent danger. That said, over the course of the past year, discomfort has no doubt grown for workers. Wage growth has moderated, and firms aren’t hiring much.” – Elizabeth Renter, Senior Economist and Editorial Director of Data Insights, NerdWallet
“Labor force participation helps explain how unemployment could fall even as hiring weakens. The participation rate edged down to 62.4%, meaning fewer people were actively in the labor force. When participation softens, the unemployment rate can improve without stronger job creation, which is why participation is a critical companion to the headline rate. The employment-population ratio was little changed, reinforcing a picture of stability rather than renewed strength.” – Thomas J. Thompson, Chief Economist, Havas
“I have never seen a sector with employment as flat as retail. Although it’s been trending down for the past three months, there are essentially the same number of people working in retail today as there were three years ago.” – Lydia DePillis, The New York Times
“It is too early to know how artificial intelligence will reshape the labor market, but some sectors that are particularly exposed to A.I. are showing signs of weakness. Professional and business services, which includes industries such as computer systems design and advertising, lost 9,000 jobs in December, and 97,000 jobs in 2025.” – Sydney Ember, The New York Times
Just Give Me the Data, Please
The Employment Situation Summary by the numbers:
Total nonfarm employment: +50,000 jobs
Unemployment rate: 4.4% (down from 4.6% the previous month)
Revisions to previous jobs reports: -76,000 jobs than originally reported for October and November
Long-term unemployed: 1.9 million for the month (up 397,000 for the year)
Labor force participation rate: 62.4%
Employment-population ratio: 59.7%
People employed part-time for economic reasons: 5.3 million (up 980,000 for the year)
People not in the labor force who want jobs and have looked for work in the last year: 1.8 million
Discouraged workers: 461,000 (down 183,000 since the previous month)
Average hourly earnings: $37.07 (+12 cents or 0.3%)
Industries that added jobs:
Food services and drinking places (+27,000 jobs)
Healthcare (+21,000 jobs)
Social assistance (+17,000 jobs)
Industries that lost jobs:
Retail trade (-25,000 jobs)
Industries that remained essentially flat:
Federal government (+2,000 jobs for the month, -277,000 for the year)
Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction
Construction
Manufacturing
Wholesale trade
Transportation and warehousing
Information
Financial activities
Professional and business services
Earlier Posts From The Job Hopper
What to Do If You Lose Your Job
Losing your job is a traumatic experience, whether you’re laid off, fired, or forced to quit for reasons beyond your control. Allow yourself a minute to mourn. Then, get practical and get going. The quicker you get a job search up and running, the more prepared you’ll be to jump on the right opportunity. Here’s what to do next.
How to Get Ready for a Recession
Unless something changes, we’re about to enter a recession. As most of us don’t work for the Fed or the executive branch or sit on the board of a major American corporation, there’s very little we can do to stop the economic tide from turning. About all we can do is get ready. Here’s how to protect your career and your finances in case of recession.
How To Find Companies That Are Still Hiring
If your job search is stalled, take a break from looking for specific job openings. Instead, target companies that are staffing up. Here’s how.
The Job Market Sucks. We’re Here To Help.
This is the worst job market that either of us can remember. Even more than that, it’s a weird market. This is not your typical recession or industry correction. We don’t have all the answers, but we do have free tools and fresh perspectives that give your job search a boost.
SPECIAL EDITION: Resources for Unemployed Federal Workers
If you’re one of the thousands of federal workers who’ve recently lost their jobs — or if you’re concerned that you’re about to join them — you need and deserve support. We’ve assembled some helpful resources to get you through the next couple of weeks and months as you figure out what to do next.
Free Google Tools for Job Seekers
Google has lots of free tools you can use to help grow your career and find your next job. Explore career options, take a course, earn a certificate, write your resume and cover letters, track your applications, find the latest job listings, and practice interviewing with Google’s tools.
Where To Get Financial Help When You’re Unemployed
What can you do if you’ve run out of unemployment benefits, are about to lose them, or if your benefits aren’t enough to pay the bills? It’s scary to have little or no income, but you may be eligible for financial assistance to help you through this difficult time. Here’s where to go for help.