Contact Palm Beach Business.com by phone: 561 450-8258. By email.

Unemployment drops, economy adds 200,000 jobs

By Palm Beach Business.com

WASHINGTON — The national jobless rate dropped a point to 8.5 percent in December as employers added 200,000 workers to their payrolls.

Sectors adding jobs included transportation and warehousing, retail trade, manufacturing, health care, and mining, according to the Labor Department, which released Friday’s report.

The number of unemployed dropped to 13.1 million from 13.3 million a month earlier.

A year ago, the jobless rate sat at 9.4 percent; the number of unemployed was 14.4 million.

Employment in transportation and warehousing rose by 50,000 in December, while retail trade added 28,000 jobs

Construction employment changed little in December, although nonresidential specialty trade contractors added 20,000 jobs over the month. Professional and business services changed little in December, as did government.