By Jeffrey Sparshott and Jeff Bater; Wall Street Journal The U.S. economy added fewer jobs than expected in December, but the unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in 19 months as more people who still remain in the work force found employment. Nonfarm payrolls rose by 103,000 last month as private-sector employers added 113,000 jobs, the Labor Department said Friday. The… Read more »

By Vivien Lou Chen and Timothy R. Homan; Bloomberg Business Week Lee and Kate Amon, owners of Internet retailer Kate's Caring Gifts, say they would need a 50 percent increase in sales before adding a full-time employee. The couple, who live and work in Fremont, Calif., have two part-timers handle orders for organic food baskets and natural soaps because "it gives us the flexibility to… Read more »

By Laurie Segall; CNN Money Small businesses saw a sharp jump in hiring in December, according to an ADP report released Wednesday. The private sector added 297,000 jobs overall last month, with almost all of the gains coming from companies with less than 500 workers. Those firms added a net 261,000 new positions during the month, ADP estimates. The smallest companies -- those with… Read more »

By James B. Kelleher; ABC News  Borrowing by small U.S. businesses jumped in November to the highest level in more than two years, PayNet Inc reported on Monday, as entrepreneurs invested in their businesses and did a better job of paying existing debts. The Thomson Reuters/PayNet Small Business Lending Index, which measures the overall volume of financing to U.S. small businesses,… Read more »