The strength of the December report surprised most economists who have been predicting a slowdown in the economy. Since many Asian countries and Russia are in a recession and the economies of many Latin American countries appear to be in a downturn, the decrease in demand for exports would slow the economy. Additionally, analysts had thought consumer spending would moderate. The article notes that consumer spending is largely responsible for continued job growth. Declining exports are supposed to slow the economy.
Many economists claim that the economy is at full-employment.