WASHINGTON (AP) – The U.S. job market proved resilient in December despite fears that a budget impasse in Washington would send the economy over the fiscal cliff and trigger growth-killing tax hikes and spending cuts.

Employers added 155,000 jobs last month, roughly matching the solid but unspectacular monthly pace of the past 2 years.

The gains announced Friday weren’t enough to reduce unemployment, which remained a still-high 7.8 percent. The November rate was revised up a notch from the 7.7 percent the government had originally reported.