Walcott had to furlough four employees at his restaurant, just before Christmas, after New York state stopped allowing indoor dining.
Still, the nation has nearly 10 million fewer jobs than it did before the pandemic sent it into a deep recession nearly a year ago, having recovered just 56% of the jobs lost in the spring.
Most other industries added jobs in December, with manufacturers, construction companies, and higher-paying professional services such as architecture, engineering and accounting hiring more workers.
Friday’s monthly jobs report, the last of Donald Trump’s presidency, shows that the nation has 3 million fewer jobs than it did four years earlier.
Still, Trump had pledged to create 25 million jobs in four years.