Friday’s jobs report was “even more important” than normal as the market adjusts its assessment of the direction of the economy.

The US economy added more jobs than forecast in December while the unemployment rate unexpectedly fell. Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Friday showed 256,000 new jobs were created in December,

The Labor Department released its jobs report for December, which showed the U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs last month, well above economists' expectations.

Payrolls: 256,000 jobs added in December vs. 153,000 expected, according to economists surveyed by FactSet. Unemployment rate: 4.1%, down from 4.2% in November. Revisions: October

The Labor Department reported Friday that 265,000 jobs were added to the U.S. economy in December, which was roughly 100,000 more than expected. The unemployment rate also fell to 4.1%. CBS News contributor Javier David explains why investors see the better-than-expected jobs report as a bad thing.

The December jobs report from the Labor Department is expected to show slower growth before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

The U.S. economy added 256,000 jobs in December and the unemployment rate edged down to 4.1%, the Labor Department said Friday. Last month’s gain in nonfarm payrolls was the biggest since March and well above the 155,

U.S. job growth unexpectedly accelerated in December while the unemployment rate fell to 4.1% as the labor market ended the year on a solid footing, reinforcing views that the Federal Reserve would keep interest rates unchanged this month.

The Labor Department reported Friday that job growth increased in December, rising from November's total of 212,000.