Dreary December For U.S. Jobs
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Labor Department reports nonfarm payroll growth of 18,000 during December.
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U.S. job growth slowed sharply last month, and many workers' incomes fell, as automakers, airlines and retailers trimmed their payrolls, reducing consumers' buying power just as the holiday season was beginning.
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Chicago-area factories lost jobs in  December for the first time since July as business activity  slowed for a second straight month, boding ill for next week's  monthly employment report.
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Employees at car dealerships, furniture stores, gas stations and clothing retailers were among the hardest hit by job losses in December, when unemployment climbed to a two-year high.
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Growth in Chicago-area factories  slowed in December as the pace of hiring slowed for the first  time in six months, suggesting U.S. firms remain reluctant to  hire new workers.
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Hopes for a bullish start to the year for stocks faded after a key measure of manufacturing activity unexpectedly fell in December to its lowest level since 2003.
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The number of newly laid off workers filing for unemployment benefits fell sharply last week although much of the improvement reflected unusual factors related to the Christmas holiday.
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WASHINGTON -- Consumer confidence dipped in December, suggesting Americans are feeling less cheery _ but are not downright gloomy _ as they hit the malls during the holiday season.
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The U.S. unemployment rate likely hit its highest in more than a year in December, evidence of the rising difficulties Americans face finding a job, according to economists polled by Reuters.
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Christmas can&#39;t come soon enough for the nation&#39;s retailers, but this year, it also might not come strong enough. High energy costs, rising interest rates, and consumer unease about threats
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Fewer Americans signed up for unemployment benefits last week, raising hopes that the nation&#39;s job market will show improvement moving into the new year.
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US employers added just 112,000 new jobs heading into the Christmas shopping season, the weakest employment gains in five months and half of what economists expected.
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WASHINGTON - Employers slowed their hiring as they headed into the holiday shopping season, adding just 112,000 new jobs in November.
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The U.S. unemployment rate likely  hit its highest in more than a year in December, evidence of  the rising difficulties Americans face finding a job, according  to economists polled by Reuters.
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Factory activity in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region contracted sharply in January and home building in December fell to the slowest pace since the early 1990s, according to reports on Thursday that reinforced fears of recession.
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A surprisingly soft 112,000 new U.S. jobs were created in November, the Labor Department said on Friday, casting a shadow across an already downbeat holiday sales season with consumers apparently worried by scarce work and high oil prices.
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One less festive sign of the holiday season is the magnification of losses in some of the worst-performing stocks.