- US added 216,000 jobs in December, blowing past expectations. December also extended the longest stretch the unemployment rate has been below 4 percent since the mid-1960s. The average hourly wage has increased 4.1 percent over the past year, outstripping inflation, which clocked in at 3.1 percent. https://thehill.com/business/4389966-us-added-216000-jobs-in-december-closing-out-strong-2023/ 10 comments economy