WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- U.S. employers added 145,000 jobs in December, down from a revised 256,000 in November, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Friday.

In 2019, payroll employment rose by 2.1 million, down from a gain of 2.7 million in 2018, the report showed. Divided by months, job gains have averaged 175,000 in 2019, a sharp drop from the 225,000 figure in the prior year.

October and November employment were both revised down, by 4,000 to 152,000 and by 10,000 to 256,000 respectively. After revisions, job gains have averaged 184,000 over the last three months.

Job gains in December mainly occurred in retail trade and health care, while mining lost jobs, according to the report. Employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend up.

The unemployment rate in December remained at 3.5 percent, the lowest in five decades. In September, the unemployment rate also hit a low mark.

Average hourly earnings for all private-sector workers in December rose 3 cents to 28.32 U.S. dollars. Over the last 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 2.9 percent. Enditem

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