The surprising 256,000 increase in new jobs in December and a declining unemployment rate is good news, but the latest employment reports masks recent softness in the labor market. The increase in new jobs in December, for example, was centered on just four industries: Health care, government, retail and leisure and hospitality.

Before the strong December jobs report was released, the odds were already low for an interest rate cut in the next Federal Reserve decision on January 29.

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,

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

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

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.

Employers added 256,000 jobs in December despite uncertainty over President-elect Donald Trump's policies. Unemployment dipped to 4.1%

December's jobs figure is even higher than November's, which experts say was skewed by people returning to work from strikes and hurricanes.