Jobs data for December will add to ongoing mixed signals in the U.S. labor market. Analysts surveyed by Dow Jones expect 155,000 jobs added on the month, down from 227,000 in November, with the unemployment rate expected to have remained unchanged at 4.2%.

US employers likely added a healthy number of jobs in December and the unemployment rate was unchanged, showcasing a labor market that for another year defied expectations for a sharper slowdown.

Economists expect the latest jobs report to show the labor market continued to cool in December but not enough to prompt a Federal Reserve interest rate cut in January.