Civilian labor force participation down and 490,000 people are no longer counted as unemployed in December.
The number of people in the labor force dropped 0.2 of a percentage point and the unemployment rate fell to 6.7 percent as December figures released this morning by the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics show a mixed bag for the economy.
The civilian labor force participation rate dipped to 62.8 percent, near historic lows, figures show. It lost a 0.2 percentage point gain from November, figures show. Prior to the 2007 recession, it was about 67 percent.
The number of people counted as unemployed dropped by 490,000 in December, the government said. The number of people unemployed dropped by 1.9 million in 2013 and the rate fell by 1.2 percentage points -- including tumbling 0.3 of a percentage point in December.
Only 74,000 jobs were created in December, well below previous four months which averaged 214,000 jobs, figures show. It was the worst month for job creation in three years.
Wholesale trade and electronics led the job gains. Professional and business services was up as well. Manufacturing rose, but health care and construction were down, figures show.