Washington — Jan. 4

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 155,000 in December and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.8 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday. Employment increased in health care, food services, drinking places, construction and manufacturing.

The number of unemployed people, at 12.2 million, was little changed in December. The unemployment rate held at 7.8 percent and has been at or near that level since September.

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult women (7.3 percent) and blacks (14 percent) edged up in December, while the rates for adult men (7.2 percent), teenagers (23.5 percent), whites (6.9 percent) and Hispanics (9.6 percent) showed little or no change. The jobless rate for Asians was 6.6 percent (not seasonally adjusted), little changed from a year earlier.

In December, the number of long-term unemployed — those jobless for 27 weeks or more — was essentially unchanged at 4.8 million and accounted for 39.1 percent of the unemployed.

The civilian labor force participation rate held at 63.6 percent in December. The employment-population ratio, at 58.6 percent, was essentially unchanged over the month.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics