From the office of U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman:

WASHINGTON--U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., recently praised the labor department’s December jobs report showing a labor market that continues to generate new jobs and higher wages.

According to the report, 167,000 jobs were created in December, while the unemployment rate held at 4.5 percent. Additionally, hourly earnings increased by 4.2 percent and weekly earnings increased by 4.5 percent during the past year. December marked the 40th straight month of job growth and during these months more than 7.2 million new jobs have been created.

“Without question, these latest numbers are further proof of the economic benefits of pro-growth policies,” Coleman said. “Maintaining these policies is the key to keeping our economy on the right track. However, at the same time I understand that behind even the best numbers and statistics are stories of individuals facing financial hardships resulting from a job loss, higher living costs or unforeseen costs. That is why I will continue to work with both sides of the aisle to address the everyday challenges confronting working families and the middle class.”

Meanwhile, the latest Minnesota jobs report shows the fourth largest job gain among states in November with 12, 300 new jobs. The state unemployment rate held steady at 3.9 percent. It is the seventh straight month that unemployment has been below 4 percent. Along with a lower unemployment rate than the national average, Minnesota’s growth rate of 2.5 percent outpaced the national rate of 1.3 percent.