US unemployment rate holds steady in December at 7.8%

The US economy added a further 155,000 jobs in December, while the unemployment rate held steady at 7.8%, official figures show.

The jobs came mainly in the healthcare, manufacturing, construction and food services sectors, the Labor Department said.

The total number of unemployed in the US was largely unchanged at 12.2 million.

Schroders' chief economist Keith Wade told BBC News that the increase in jobs was marginally stronger than expected.