Economists had been expecting an overall healthy reading, with 169,000 net new jobs created in the month and the unemployment rate holding steady at 4.1%. The January report, which effectively closes the book on the Biden-era job market,

The U.S. economy entered 2025 with a combination of challenges and optimism. Although 143,000 new jobs were created last month, which fell short of expectations, the unemployment rate still dipped to 4% per new reports published on Feb.