The unemployment rate fell to 3.9%. And hourly earnings are still climbing.

Employers across the country added a disappointing 199,000 people to their payrolls in December, closing out a pandemic-marred year in which the U.S. economy nonetheless gained some 6.5 million jobs and saw a dramatic drop in unemployment, the government reported Friday.

The data was collected before the worst of the Omicron variant spread.

Washington (AFP) - The US economy ended 2021 on a sour note with a worse-than-expected employment report Friday underscoring the challenges awaiting President Joe Biden in the new year, as the Omicron variant runs rampant and his legislative agenda stalls.

The U.S. economy added a record 6.4 million jobs in 2021, rebounding strongly from unprecedented losses in the year prior due to the pandemic.

One of the fastest years of job creation in U.S. history stumbled at the finish line in December