News Alert: Economy adds 200,000 jobs in December, unemployment rate falls to 8.5 percent

	Friday, January 6, 2012 8:44:32 AM NEWS ALERT Economy adds 200,000 jobs in December, unemployment rate falls to 8.5 percent A burst of hiring in December pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in nearly three years, giving the economy a boost at the end of 2011. The Labor Department says employers added a net 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest since February 2009. The rate has dropped for four straight months. The hiring gains cap a six-month stretch in which the economy generated 100,000 jobs or more in each month. That hasn't happened since April 2006. For all of 2011, the economy added 1.6 million jobs, better than the 940,000 added in 2010. The unemployment rate averaged 8.9 percent last year, down from 9.6 percent the previous year. Read more at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/sixth-straight-month-of-solid-hiring-expected-when-government-reports-on-december-job-growth/2012/01/06/gIQAv7lMeP_story.html Or visit washingtonpost.com. SEND TO A FRIEND UNSUBSCRIBE E-MAIL CENTER GET HELP Washington Post Digital E-mail Customer Care 1150 15th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20071 ©2011 The Washington Post Privacy Policy