By Alicia Wallace, CNN

(CNN) — The US economy added 256,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate dipped to 4.1% from 4.2%, wrapping up a year that marked a return to pre-pandemic norms, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Friday.

While the final jobs report for 2024 underscores how the US labor market has turned the corner since the pandemic, there’s plenty of uncertainty as to what 2025 could bring for the trajectory of the labor market — in part because of President-elect Donald Trump’s potential policy changes involving trade, immigration, taxes and the federal workforce.

Including December’s gains, which are subject to revision, the economy added about 2.2 million jobs in 2024, in line with annual totals from 2017 to 2019.

Economists were expecting a net gain of 153,000 jobs and for the unemployment rate to stay at 4.2%, according to FactSet.

This story is developing and will be updated.

The-CNN-Wire
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