Jobs report updates: What to expect in December's data after a low-hire, low-fire year

Here's how unemployment and job growth looked before the new report

The November report showed that unemployment reached 4.6%, the highest rate since September 2021. Unemployment has been at or above 4% since May 2024.

Meanwhile, the US added 64,000 jobs, largely due to the healthcare sector, which added 46,300 jobs. The construction sector added 28,000 jobs, and professional and business services added 12,000.

That report came late as a result of the government shutdown. Economists and others were excited to have November's jobs report, even if it was published in mid-December rather than December 5 to allow for more time collecting and processing data.

The report included some info from the previous month as well. BLS was able to still calculate October job growth and other estimates from the establishment survey, a survey of businesses and government agencies, following the shutdown.

October unemployment, labor force participation, and other estimates that rely on the household survey won't be able to be produced.

Today wraps up national job growth data for 2025

The Bureau of Labor Statistics will release its employment situation report this morning. The new data can be used to analyze how the job market has evolved over the past year in comparison to previous years.

Economists described the 2025 job market as being stuck in a low-hire, low-fire state.

"Job growth has been very slow over the course of 2025, and it doesn't seem like we've turned around quite yet to translate the pent-up demand for hiring and the recent increase in job openings into actual hires," Nicole Bachaud, an economist at ZipRecruiter, told Business Insider after the last jobs report was published on December 16.

The new report will also feature annual revisions to the household survey, used to calculate the unemployment rate.