Report: December leads 2015 in job growth

An employment report released on Wednesday indicates that the last month of 2015 was great for job creation. It looks like the U.S. private employers added 257,000 jobs in December, the strongest gain since December 2014.

Most jobs were generated by large businesses. Companies with at least 500 employees added 97,000 positions from the total of 257,000, companies with fewer than 50 workers hired 95,000 new employees, and mid-sized firms added 65,000 people to their payrolls. Services are responsible for the largest share of the gain, with 234,000 jobs created in the sector. By industries, professional and business services added 66,000 jobs, transportation, trade and utilities added 38,000, and construction firms increased their payrolls with 24,000 jobs.  Manufacturing companies added 23,000 workers. The unemployment rate is forecast to remain at 5 percent, same as November. Economists say that if this job growth is sustained in the next months, the U.S. economy will be back to full employment by mid-year.

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