US Economy Adds br 145,000 Jobs.br The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced br December’s job growth on Friday.br Nearly a quarter of the jobs stemmed br from the retail sector due to the br holiday shopping season.br December’s growth had 100,000 br fewer jobs than November, which br had a boost from General Motors br workers returning from strike.br Despite not meeting economists’ br expectations, the unemployment br rate remained consistent at 3.5 percent.br Wage growth reached 0.1 percentbr for the month of December, putting br the year’s rate at 2.9 percent.