Jobs growth in the U.S. slowed at the end of 2019 as employers added 145,000 jobs in December, capping off the year with the lowest annual jobs created since 2011.
With 2.1 million jobs created in 2019, the U.S. lagged behind the previous year, which saw a total of 2.7 million jobs created in 2018.
The slow jobs growth had little effect on the unemployment rate for the country, which ended the year at a decade-low 3.5 percent. This continues the stable decline in unemployment that began in 2010 following the Great Recession and a peak unemployment rate of 10 percent.
Jobs are expected to steadily grow in 2020 as consumer confidence grows with the surging economy.