2025 was not the greatest year for job creation.
The U.S. job market has remained stagnant since the Trump administration imposed flat tariffs, and the slowdown intensified after President Trump’s “Emancipation Day” tariff announcement, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Tariff Costs US, a group opposed to the president’s tariff hikes, claims that U.S. manufacturing has lost jobs every month since April, with about 8,000 jobs lost in December alone, and construction employment down 11,000.
“December’s jobs report ended a year of sluggish job growth with the smallest non-recession job gain since 2003,” the group said. “Economists consistently blame tariffs for job losses and rising costs.”
Tariff Costs The United States also published articles in the press showing the negative impact of increased tariffs.
The Associated Press reported that the hiring slump capped a frustrating year for job seekers, even as the unemployment rate fell to 4.4% and manufacturing, construction and retail industries cut jobs across the board.
“Retailers shed 25,000 positions, indicating that holiday hiring is weaker than usual.Manufacturers have shed jobs every month since April, when President Trump announced significant additional tariffs aimed at boosting manufacturing, and December’s report ends a year of job stagnation, particularly since President Trump announced ‘Emancipation Day’ tariffs in April,” the Associated Press reported.
Wall Street Journal: U.S. loses manufacturing jobs every month since ‘Emancipation Day’ “According to the Labor Department, U.S. manufacturing shed about 8,000 jobs in December, marking the eighth straight month of losses since President Trump’s ‘Emancipation Day’ tariffs in April. ”
“The recent decline extends a slow but steady contraction, eliminating approximately 200,000 U.S. manufacturing roles after 2023.”
Reuters: US job growth slowed in December. Unemployment rate drops to 4.4%
The retail industry lost 25,000 jobs, and manufacturing lost another 8,000 jobs. Economists blame the Trump administration’s tariff hikes for the factory job losses. President Trump ironically defended import tariffs as necessary to revive manufacturing. Construction employment fell by 11,000 in December…
“With factors such as tariffs and AI holding back companies from hiring workers, economists increasingly see labor market challenges as structural rather than cyclical, which would reduce the job-promoting effects of rate cuts.”
