Overview
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a 50,000 gain in December payrolls and a 4.4% jobless rate, capping 2025 with roughly 584,000 jobs added, the weakest non-recession annual increase since the early 2000s.
- Hours before the official release, President Trump posted a CEA-prepared graphic on Truth Social that incorporated the unpublished December figures, which matched the numbers later published by BLS.
- OMB policy bars executive branch officials from releasing or commenting on market-moving statistics before publication, and the White House said the disclosure was inadvertent and will trigger a protocol review.
- Economists pointed to administration policies such as aggressive tariffs and enforcement actions as headwinds to hiring, while noting that healthcare and social assistance accounted for most December gains.
- Market observers reported no evident trading disruption tied to the early post, as questions continued about BLS capacity following leadership upheaval and staffing strains that have driven sizable revisions.