US hiring beats expectations, unemployment edges down

US job gains soared past expectations in December, according to government data released Friday, in a sign that the labor market remains healthy just shortly before President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration this month.

Hiring in the world's biggest economy was 256,000 last month, up from a revised 212,000 in November, said the Labor Department. The jobless rate crept down to 4.1 percent.