The unemployment rate in the United States was unchanged in December at 7.8 per cent, the US Bureau of Labour Statistics said Friday, based on its monthly household survey.
A separate survey of employers found that payrolls grew by 155,000 last month. Growth was reported in the health care, food service, construction and manufacturing industries.
The rate of hiring accelerated slightly from November's addition of 146,000 jobs.
December hiring was in line with Wall Street expectations. A Bloomberg news survey of 79 economists produced a median forecast of 153,000 jobs added.
In an annual revision of its seasonal adjustment formula, the bureau changed the November unemployment rate from 7.7 per cent to 7.8 per cent.
The unemployment rate peaked around 10 per cent in the aftermath of the 2007-09 recession, which was the steepest US downturn in nearly 80 years. Continued inconsistent growth has been too weak to
rapidly lower the unemployment rate, which was 8.3 per cent in January 2012.