Jobs report has mixed results

People filling out employment forms at a job fair.
People filling out employment forms at a job fair.

POLITICO reports the economy added fewer jobs than expected last month, and more Americans have stopped looking for work — a disappointing development that comes as many economists have expressed optimism that the economic recovery is gaining momentum.

The Labor Department reported on Friday that the economy added 74,000 jobs in December while unemployment fell to 6.7 percent.

The number of jobs added fell far short of expectations — most analysts had predicted job growth of about 200,000, according to a Bloomberg survey.

Analysts cautioned against reading too much into the surprisingly low payroll figures, predicting that the number of jobs added in December will likely be revised up in the coming months and that harsh weather conditions were partly to blame. MORE …

Jim Williams is the Washington Bureau Chief, Digital Director as well as the Director of Special Projects for Genesis Communications. He is starting his third year as part of the team. This is Williams 40th year in the media business, and in that time he has served in a number of capacities. He is a seven time Emmy Award winning television producer, director, writer and executive. He has developed four regional sports networks, directed over 2,000 live sporting events including basketball, football, baseball hockey, soccer and even polo to name a few sports. Major events include three Olympic Games, two World Cups, two World Series, six NBA Playoffs, four Stanley Cup Playoffs, four NCAA Men’s National Basketball Championship Tournaments (March Madness), two Super Bowl and over a dozen college bowl games. On the entertainment side Williams was involved s and directed over 500 concerts for Showtime, Pay Per View and MTV Networks.