U.S. job growth in December fell short of expectations, with 50,000 jobs added, a slowdown from November's revised 56,000. The unemployment rate decreased slightly to 4.4%. The year 2025 marked the weakest annual hiring growth since the pandemic, with 584,000 jobs added compared to 2.0 million in 2024. Sectors like health care and leisure/hospitality saw gains, while retail trade experienced job losses. This data could influence the Federal Reserve's interest rate decisions.