December hiring lower than expected with economy adding just 199,000 jobs
Fox Business' Charles Payne has the latest on December's job growth on 'Special Report.'
Social media users on Friday balked at a graphic the White House posted online that claimed President Biden has created far more jobs than any other commander-in-chief.
"Ever," the post boasted.
The graphic – which appeared on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – was posted just hours after a disappointing jobs report showed hiring had fallen far below expectations in December.
While the numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics appeared to be accurate, the raw data failed to show important context.
The talking point that Biden has created more jobs than any other president is a favorite of his – but he isn’t factoring in population and labor-force growth, or the fact that many of the jobs recently gained had been lost during a sharp drop in employment because of the coronavirus pandemic.
US HIRING COOL IN DECEMBER AS ECONOMY ADDS JUST 199,000 NEW JOBS
The economy is still 5 million jobs under the peak reached before the pandemic, according to Politifact.
Social media users were quick to point out what many interpreted to be White House spin.
"what world do you guys live in?!" one commenter wrote, along with several laughing and clown emojis.
"This is a joke right?" another wrote.
A third said, "I do have to say one thing this administration is great at is skewing charts and graphs."
President Biden speaks about the 2021 jobs report in the State Dining Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in Washington. (Associated Press)
"Who’s here for the comments lol," another user joked.
"I don't think ‘created' means what you think it does......" someone else posted.
President Biden returns a salute as he and first lady Jill Biden board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in Washington. The Bidens were heading to Colorado and then Nevada. (Associated Press)
Biden defended the economy under his watch on Friday.
"There's been a lot of press coverage about people quitting their jobs," he said from the White House. "Well, today's report tells you why – Americans are moving up to better jobs. This is the kind of recovery I promised and hoped for, for the American people."
While economic experts had expected 400,000 new jobs to be added in the last report of the year, it was a dismal 199,000.
A hiring sign is seen outside a Accurate Personnel employment agency office in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Dec. 3, 2021. One of the fastest years of job creation in U.S. history stumbled at the finish line in December. (Associated Press)
Still, the unemployment rate remains low – as Biden frequently points out - 3.9% down from 4.2% — the lowest level since the pandemic began.
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The labor market had been gaining momentum after a delta-induced slowdown over the summer, but the latest figure represents the second consecutive month of worse-than-expected growth, following upwardly revised gains of 249,000 in November and 648,000 in October. The last time job growth was this slow was in December 2020, when employers cut 306,000 positions.
Fox Business' Megan Henney contributed to this report.
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