By Jeffry Bartash
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The U.S. economy created 155,000 jobs in December - matching its two-year average - and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.8%, the government said Friday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected an increase of 160,000 jobs last month. The unemployment rate, originally reported as 7.7% in November, was changed to 7.8% after the Labor Department's annual revision conducted each December. The unemployment rate over the course of 2012 was little changed, however. The number of new jobs created in November, meanwhile, was revised up to 161,000 from 146,000, while October's figure was revised down to 137,000 from 138,000. The biggest increases in hiring in December occurred in health care, bars and restaurants, construction and manufacturing. The retail sector and government reduced employment. Average hourly wages rose 7 cents, or 0.3%, to $23.73 while the average workweek edged up by 0.1 hour to 34.5 hours.
