Expected, but close to the amount added in november. The nations Unemployment Rate also held steady at 7. 8 and the job gains last month were spread throughout the economy. Still, there is little optimism hiring will gain much momentum this year. Suzanne pratt has the story. Reporter 153,000 thats the average number of jobs the economy created every month of last year. While its not an awful, its not impressive, either. And, for the millions of Americans Still out of work, the job market remains downright depressing. 150,000, its moderate, its not Strong Enough given the size of the hole that were digging out of with respect to unemployment. Reporter the worry now is what wrangling in washington over spending cuts and the debt ceiling will mean for hiring. Companies continued adding jobs even with the uncertainty over the fiscal cliff. And, many economists believe firms will increase payrolls this year in spite of the debt ceiling debate. I dont think that the spending cuts will be as