Unemployment Rate Dips to 4.9%; Payrolls Decline

The U.S. unemployment rate dipped to 4.9% in January from 5% in December, though payrolls declined, the Labor Department said Friday.

The 17,000 decline in jobs followed a jump of 82,000 in December, Labor said.

Analysts had not forecast a decline in payrolls, Bloomberg reported.

It was the first time payrolls have declined since 2003, Bloomberg said.

Manufacturers’ payrolls fell by 28,000, following a 20,000 downturn in December. Service industries added 34,000 workers, following a gain of 143,000 the previous month.

The unemployment-rate gauge is based on a survey of households. The number of payroll jobs added is determined by a separate survey of business and government establishments.