December Jobs: Hiring Remains Weak But Joblessness Backs Off From Multi-Year Highs
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MTS Insights771 FollowersFollow5ShareSavePlay(12min)CommentsSummaryThe December jobs report delivered mixed signals, with Establishment data showing weak hiring and Household data reversing last month’s narrative of rapid labor market slack.Private sector job growth slowed sharply in Q4 2025, with the 3-month average dropping to 29,000, reflecting a 'no hire, no fire' environment.Wage growth surprised to the upside at 3.8% YoY in December, partially due to upward revisions, with both goods and services sectors accelerating.Markets reacted with volatility; equities trended higher on dovish hiring data, but bond and FX markets showed less clear direction, reinforcing expectations for a Fed pause in January. Luis Alvarez/DigitalVision via Getty Images The December jobs report delivered a split signal on the labor market, with the two core surveys pointing in different directions. The Establishment survey leaned dovish, reinforcing the idea that hiring momentum deteriorated meaningfully late in theThis article was written byMTS Insights771 FollowersFollowI cover global macro data releases and events; ETFs representing sectors, industries, and asset classes; and earnings reports. For more analysis, visit my website or follow me on X.Analyst’s Disclosure:I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article. Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.