The economy added far fewer jobs last month than economists projected, according to a Friday Labor Department report. For President Joe Biden, it's the fourth dismal jobs report he's received in recent months.
Employment rose by just 199,000 jobs in December, the report found, less than half of the 422,000 jobs that economists projected the country would gain.
December saw the fewest jobs created of any month in 2021. The month's jobs report is particularly gloomy considering the Labor Department collected its data midway through December, before the Omicron COVID-19 variant swept the country and disrupted the economy.
Friday's report marks the fourth time in the last five months that the economy has fallen short of expectations for job creation. In August, September, and November, employment increased far less than projected.
The run of disappointing jobs reports will do little to improve the poor public perception of Biden's handling of the economy. A CNBC poll this week found that a 60-percent majority disapproves of Biden's economic performance, and an October poll showed that most voters blame Biden for rising inflation.