A softer gain in hiring was expected for December, but Jan. 10's report from the US Labor Department was weaker than economists forecast. Companies added 139,000 workers last month - moderately lower vs. the 150,000 consensus point forecast via Econoday.com. That's still a respectable gain, although it's no match for November's blowout surge of 243,000 new jobs in the private sector.
Month-to-month comparisons are unfair generally. A better measure is the one-year change, which slipped to 1.5% in December for the first time since 2011. That, too, is a healthy gain, but it's clear that