WASHINGTON – Employers significantly increased hiring in just three U.S. states last month, while five states reported large cuts.
The Labor Department says that job totals were little changed in the other 42. Unemployment rates fell noticeably in 10 states and rose in just one.
The weak gains in most states partly reflect a downshift in hiring nationwide. Employers added 156,000 jobs last month, down from 204,000 in November, and the U.S. unemployment rate ticked up to 4.7 percent from 4.6 percent. In the final three months of last year, hiring averaged 165,000 a month, down from 282,000 a year earlier.
In all of last year, half the states reported large job gains, while only two — Wyoming and North Dakota — lost a significant number of positions.
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