The best thing that could be said about the U.S. jobs market at the end of 2025 is at least it didn’t get any worse. And maybe — just maybe — hiring might improve in the new year.

U.S. employment growth slowed more than expected in December amid job losses in the construction, retail and manufacturing sectors, but a decline in the unemployment rate to 4.4% suggested the labor market was not rapidly deteriorating.

The latest data means 2025 saw the weakest annual job growth since 2003, with just 584,000 jobs added last year.

Employers added 50,000 jobs in the final month of 2025, according to Labor Department data, which was fewer than expected. But the unemployment rate dipped to 4.4%. Job gains last year were the weakest since 2020, when the Covid pandemic led to widespread cuts.

Forecasters believe U.S. employment numbers expanded modestly in December, extending a streak of labor market weakness that has prompted the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates several times.

US job gains probably remained modest in December, wrapping up one of the weakest years for employment growth since 2009.

US hiring slowed in December as job losses hit key sectors such as construction, retail and manufacturing, but steady wage growth and a lower unemployment rate pointed to a labour market that remains resilient,

U.S. President Donald Trump posted a chart on his social media account late on Thursday that included job-market data that was not publicly released until Friday morning, a break with long-standing practice the White House said was inadvertent.