Unemployment rate falls to 8.5 pct., hiring surges


January 6, 2012 at 11:06a.m.

Unemployment rate falls to 8.5 pct., hiring surges

WASHINGTON (AP) — A burst of hiring in December pushed the unemployment rate to its lowest level in nearly three years, giving the economy a boost at the end of 2011. The Labor Department said today that employers added a net 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest since February 2009. The rate has dropped for four straight months.