In all, the nation added 2.65 million jobs in 2015, the second-best year for hiring since 1999 and one that improved markedly in the last quarter. The economy added an average of 284,000 new monthly positions between October and December; in the first three-quarters of the year, the monthly pace was 200,000. Wage growth remains tepid, but the unemployment rate stands at its lowest point in more than seven years.

“The job market is not fully healed, but we’re getting much closer to where we’d like to be,” said David Berson, a chief economist at Nationwide Insurance.

In a sign of confidence in the economy, the Federal Reserve in December raised interest rates for the first time in nearly a decade, removing the easy terms of borrowing that had helped stimulate the economy. The Fed’s 10-member voting committee said in meeting minutes released this week that the labor market, though still shy of its full potential, showed “further improvement” and “confirmed that underutilization of labor resources had diminished appreciably since early this year.”

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Still, there are signs from farther afield that are causing concern among economists and investors. New information about a Chinese economic slowdown, coupled with Beijing’s currency devaluation, this week caused a route in global markets. The Dow Jones Industrial average tumbled more than 5 percent in the first four days of trading this week, but in the opening minutes on Friday bumped up about 75 points, or roughly 0.5 percent.

The jobs data from December showed a labor market that is steadily growing but providing only modest wage gains to employees. Last month the average hourly wage fell by a penny, to $25.24. Since one year ago, wages are up 2.5 percent — below the pace from before the Great Recession, but a tick above the crawling pace maintained throughout much of the recovery. If there’s any consolation, it stems from lower oil prices, which have helped to push down the inflation rate while increasing the purchasing power for consumers.

The issue of stagnant wages has puzzled economists and policymakers, particularly as unemployment has hit a level that normally brings about greater competition among employers — and forces them to offer salary increases. Some economists say that a massive shadow workforce still lingers on the sideline, a group that is not currently looking for jobs and not counted in unemployment figures. The share of Americans holding jobs or looking for work has fallen steadily for 15 years, and in December the so-called labor force participation rate was little changed, at 62.6 percent.

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As part of the data released Friday, the government also revised upward jobs estimates for October and November by a combined 50,000 positions. The November, previously estimated at 211,000, was revised to 252,000.

In December, job creation was particularly strong in construction and health care. But the mining sector — pressured by oil prices that are at their lowest point in 11 years — again contracted sharply. Over the last year, 130,000 Americans in the mining industry have lost jobs, according to government data. That offsets most of the gains made in the previous four years of the domestic drilling boom.

Going forward, the question is whether the American economy can endure in the face of a strong dollar and slowing global demand. The United States is largely driven by domestic consumption, insulating the economy from drastic bumps. But slumping growth oversees could bruise U.S. exporters and limit their hiring. Continued stock market volatility could also influence the way consumers view the economy and cause them to be more cautious about spending.

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Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said Friday in an interview that the pace of hiring in 2015 lagged behind that of 2014 in part because of “global headwinds — the strong dollar and the fact that Europe and the rest of the world are not recovering as fast as we are. “

“If you’re Caterpillar or Boeing or an auto company — these companies that ship globally — this dampens your bottom line,” Perez said. “But the U.S. economy is incredibly resilient. When we have money in people’s pockets, when we continue to see consumer confidence at solid levels, when we continue to see job openings, these are all indicators or an economy that has the ability to withstand these global headwinds.”

If the U.S. continues to add jobs at steady pace in January and February, investors believe the Federal Reserve could call for another interest rate hike at its meeting in March. The central bank is trying to gradually return interest rates to a more normal footing following a seven years of near-zero rates — an extraordinary period designed to stimulate the economy in the aftermath of the crisis. Fed officials expect that interest rates will rise by about 1 percent this year, implying rate hikes of a quarter percentage point at four of their meetings this year.