What slowed down job growth in December?

It was a disappointing jobs report from the U.S. Department of Labor on Friday. Only 74,000 jobs were added by domestic employers in December - the lowest number in three years.

The announcement came as a surprise, as economists were predicting more than double that figure. Both October and November saw more than 200,000 new jobs created each month.

"Last month's report clearly underscores again what the president has said repeatedly: we need to pick up the pace of the recovery," says Tom Perez, Secretary to the Department of Labor.

Retail added the most jobs for a busy holiday season with 55,000 new positions.

Other expanding industries included manufacturing, mining, and business - but growth was marginal in comparison to months before.

Some sectors saw big cuts in positions, such as construction, with 9,000 losses. Analysts peg this to an exceptionally cold winter.

Health care saw 6,000 jobs cut too - the first decline in a decade.

Also, the government’s sequester cuts was tied to 13,000 jobs losses.

Another surprise in the report was that the national unemployment level - it’s down to 6.7% now - a full percentage point lower than the end of 2012. That figure is primarily due to people giving up the hunt for work. The government only counts active job seekers.

Unemployment has been a top issue on Capitol Hill this week, as the program providing unemployment checks to the long term jobless were allowed to expired last month.

Now there is an ongoing battle to restore those benefits to 1.3 million people.

Last month, the Federal Reserve announced plans to slow down its ongoing stimulus efforts by $10 billion a month because the economy was looking healthier.

Jobs number are key to that effort - and if another month of small gains continues, the Fed could rethink its strategy.

Why did job growth slow down in December?

What does the new report mean for America's economic recovery?

How does the battle over unemployment benefits play a role?

We spoke to a panel of experts for the Inside Story.

The above panel was assembled for the broadcast of Inside Story to discuss.

For future hard-hitting conversations, find Al Jazeera America on your TV.