You're watching...
The December jobs report shows a hiring burst that sent unemployment to its lowest in three years, but is this really good or bad?
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
200000.
That's at least the number of jobs economists say the country needs to start bringing down the unemployment rate.
And that's exactly the number of jobs the US Labor Department is just reported the economy added in December.
That figure helps dropped the unemployment rate to eight point 5%.
The report better than expected a survey of economists by Dow Jones newswire -- December payrolls to rise by only 155000.
And the unemployment rate to tick up to eight point 7%.
Hiring gains -- a six month stretch where the economy generated 100000 jobs or more in each month.
That hasn't happened since April 2006.
The concern that I think people should have.
At the at the labor market.
Is that people are dropping out of the labor market even as job seem to increase.
The December report showed signs of an improving job market and economy average hourly pay went up giving people more money -- -- the average work week got a little longer to sign business is picking up.
And companies may need more workers -- you.
And they were job increases across almost all major industries manufacturing transportation retail into the struggling construction center.
All showing a rise in higher.
The strong jobs numbers along with other positive data sign the economy ended the year with some momentum.
Holiday sales numbers and November and December.
-- the strongest months last year.
For American auto sales investors are hoping December's good numbers aren't just because -- a strong holiday season that the US economy can actually sustain these numbers.
All the way through 2012.
In Washington rich Edson Fox Business.
