FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
January 7, 2022
Washington, DC 

Credit Union National Association (CUNA) Senior Economist Dawit Kebede, PhD, issued the following statement in response to the Labor Department’s December Jobs Report:

“The labor market added fewer jobs than expected in December. However, the unemployment rate continued to decline, falling below 4%, which indicates a strong recovery. Overall, the economy added on average 537,000 jobs per month in 2021.

“The employment data was collected before the Omicron variant blanketed the nation, turning entire areas into hot spots for community spread. Hence, the variant -- although less severe than Delta -- could temporarily derail progress in subsequent months.

“A 3.9% unemployment rate is good news for the Federal Reserve who is on track to end its stimulus by March in order to fight inflation.”

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About CUNA:            
Credit Union National Association (CUNA) is the only national association that advocates on behalf of all of America’s credit unions, which are owned by 120 million consumer members. CUNA, along with its network of affiliated state credit union leagues, delivers unwavering advocacy, continuous professional growth and operational confidence to protect the best interests of all credit unions. For more information about CUNA, visit cuna.org. To find your nearest credit union, visit YourMoneyFurther.com. 

CONTACT: 
Lauren Williams 
CUNA Communications 
202-672-3396