Jobs increased by 155, 000 in December of 2012, reported the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, leaving the unemployment rate at 7.8 percent. Employment increased in health care, food services and drinking places,
construction, and manufacturing. Employment in food services and drinking places rose by 38,000. In 2012, the industry added an average of 24,000 jobs a month, essentially the same as in 2011.