FILE – Construction workers work on a building in Philadelphia, Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022. On Friday, the U.S. government issues the December jobs report. Analysts forecast that 210,000 jobs were gained in December, leaving the unemployment rate unchanged.(AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — America’s employers added a solid 223,000 jobs in December, evidence that the economy remains healthy even as the Federal Reserve is rapidly raising interest rates to try to slow economic growth and the pace of hiring. With companies continuing to add jobs across the economy, the unemployment rate fell from 3.6% to 3.5%, matching a 53-year low. All told, the December jobs report suggested that the labor market may be cooling in a way that could aid the Fed’s fight against high inflation. Last month’s gain was the smallest in two years, and it extended a hiring slowdown for most of 2022.