The Federal Reserve is preparing to raise interest rates sooner and — perhaps — more aggressively after inflation reached the highest in nearly 40 years.

U.S. employers added 199,000 jobs in December as the unemployment rate fell to 3.9%, marking a second consecutive month of disappointing numbers.

Hiring slowed sharply last month, even as the unemployment rate fell to 4.2%. Data from the Labor Department suggest the economy was losing steam even before the appearance of a new COVID-19 variant.

U.S. employers added 531,000 new jobs as the unemployment rate fell to 4.6%. Millions of would-be workers are still on the sidelines, though, leaving the pace of the recovery in doubt.

The Fed left interest rates near zero on Wednesday but announced plans to start removing some of the support it has provided to the economy as inflation hits its highest point in 30 years.

With such large swaths of the American labor force leaving their jobs, the scales of power are tipping in the direction of workers. Here's how employers can entice and keep them.

The Labor Department says the U.S. added just 194,000 jobs last month, even lower than the lackluster showing in August. The unemployment rate fell to 4.8%.

A record number of women are becoming truck drivers, changing the face of an industry that has historically been dominated by men.

Hiring slowed in August as a surge in new coronavirus infections weighed on the economic recovery. Employers added just 235,000 jobs last month, a sharp drop from June and July.

Enhanced unemployment benefits launched during the pandemic expire next week, cutting a vital lifeline for millions of jobless Americans. Research suggests most will not find work right away.

Employers hired more than 1.8 million workers in June and July. But millions of others are still on the sidelines. That's leading to long wait times and is forcing some businesses to turn down orders.

As the U.S. economy continues to rebound from the pandemic recession, lots of people are going back to work — but not as quickly as many employers would like. Employers added 943,00 jobs in June.

Average wages for nonmanagers at restaurants and bars hit $15 an hour in May, but many say no amount of pay would get them to return. They are leaving at the highest rate in decades.

Small businesses are struggling to find enough workers to keep pace with booming demand even as data showed 850,000 jobs created in June.

The Fed is maintaining its easy money policies for now in an effort to speed the economic recovery. It left interest rates near zero despite a jump in consumer prices.