US added 216,000 jobs in December, capping robust year in face of high interest rates

While growth has slowed, the labor force defied fears of a downturn amid highest inflation levels in a generation

The US workforce added 216,000 jobs last month, more than expected by economists, capping another robust year of growth in the face of higher interest rates.

Policymakers, weighing when to start cutting borrowing costs, are closely monitoring the strength of the labor market as they try to guide the world’s largest economy to a so-called “soft landing”, where price growth normalizes and recession is avoided.