The unemployment rate was 4.4% in December as 50,000 nonfarm jobs were added in the U.S., lower than Wall Street’s estimates for unemployment to remain at 4.5% and an expected 55,000 jobs, according to FactSet.

Discover how macroeconomics impacts GDP, inflation, and unemployment, and learn how policy decisions shape economic stability for everyone.

The U.S. unemployment rate edged down to 4.4% in December but the economy added just 50,000 jobs, according to the latest report.

Cyclical unemployment is unemployment driven by the business or economic cycle. It can be important for investors to understand. Read on to learn more.

In November, Michigan’s unemployment rate decreased slightly to 5%. That is a drop of just 0.1% from September and means Michigan still has the fifth-highest unemployment of any state nationwide, according to data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The Labor Department added 8,000 adjusted unemployment claims for the week ending Jan. 3, which totaled 208,000 -- the least since April 2024.

The U.S. labor market wrapped up the year with an unemployment rate of 4.4% in December, the BLS reported Tuesday. Economists had expected that unemployment dipped to 4.5% in December—a result that would likely prompt the Fed to keep rates steady at its Jan.

A former Georgia state lawmaker, who allegedly lied to collect pandemic unemployment benefits she was not entitled to receive, has been indicted in federal court.