--US December payroll jobs +105,000; jobless rate unchanged at 4.0%
--US December private payrolls +49,000; govt +56,000
--US Dec avg hourly earnings 0.4%; November revised to 0.6%
--US Dec avg hourly earnings +4.2% from yr ago; highest since Aug 1998
--US Dec available labor pool up t0 10.185 mln; Nov 10.0 mln
--US December workweek -0.2 hr; manufacturing workweek -0.8 hr
--US Dec weekly hours index -0.7% to 150.5; factory index -2.4%
--US Nov payroll jobs revised to +59,000 from +94,000
--US Nov private payroll jobs revised to +111,000 from +148,000
--US October payroll jobs revised to +66,000 from +77,000
--US December factory jobs -62,000; goods-producing jobs -78,000
--US December construction jobs -13,000
--US December retail jobs +8,000; service-producing +183,000
--US payroll jobs in 2000 +1.573 mln; 1999 jobs +3.094 mln
--US average jobless rate in 2000 at 4.0%, lowest since 1969
By Anna Willard and Andrew Williams, BridgeNews
Washington--Jan. 5--The U.S. labor market continued to ease in December in line with the slowing economy, with non-farm payrolls gaining only 105,000, while the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.0%, the Labor Department reported Friday. Sharp falls in goods-producing industries, in particular manufacturing, partially offset gains in services and government employment. Average earnings rose 0.4%. Analysts had projected a 115,000 increase in jobs, a 0.3% rise in average earnings and an unemployment rate of 4.1%. * * * The December data offers more proof that labor market conditions are continuing to slacken with the increase in payrolls. Labor said that over the last three months job gains averaged 77,000, well below the average monthly gain of 187,000 for the first nine months of the year. In November, payroll jobs grew a revised 59,000, while average earnings increased a revised 0.6%. In December, manufacturing payrolls fell 62,000 reflecting the recent weakening in that sector after falling a revised 15,000 in November. The goods-producing industries, which includes manufacturing, fell 78,000 in December. Government jobs climbed 56,0000 after a revised 52,000 dip the prior month. Excluding government jobs, private payrolls rose 49,000 after a revised 111,000 gain the previous month.