A job fair in Sunrise, Florida, United States, on August 28, 2025. MARTA LAVANDIER / AP
Nearly 12 months after Donald Trump's inauguration, employment figures in the United States paint a decidedly mixed picture of the situation. The December figures, published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday, January 9, confirmed a trend that had been seen over recent months: The US economy generated a relatively low number of jobs, signaling sluggish economic activity across many sectors. However, the total unemployment rate (4.4%) was only slightly affected by this, most likely due to the drastic reduction in immigration rates.
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In December, 50,000 jobs were created, and the figures for previous months were sharply revised downward, with 76,000 fewer jobs than previously calculated. In total, the US economy created 584,000 jobs in 2025, a far cry from the 2 million generated in 2024. Most of the growth came from sectors such as health care, social assistance and tourism. By contrast, the industrial, transportation and construction sectors have been continuously shedding jobs for several months now.
