Stunning 312,00 jobs created in December, far above forecasts

Businesses hired a stunning 312,000 workers in December, capping off a year of robust economic growth, the Labor Department said Friday. Earnings rose at the fastest yearly pace in nine years, increasing 3.2 percent from the year before.

Economists were expecting about 190,000 jobs to be added. The latest monthly jobs shows that the economic weakness causing stock markets to drop isn’t yet visible in the employment figures.

The unemployment rate rose to 3.9 percent, reflecting more people quitting their jobs and new entrants to the labor force.

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