How did fiscal cliff battle affect US job figures?

4 January 2013 Last updated at 04:16 ET Help

Has Washington's battle over tax and spending deterred US employers from hiring new staff?

That is the key question for financial markets as America releases official payroll figures for December 2012.

Early indications are that the recovery in the labour market is still just about on track despite the fiscal cliff hanger.

The figures are expected to show 150,000 new jobs, not enough to bring the jobless rate lower than the current 7.7%.

But it does paint a picture of an economy that is slowly healing.

Michelle Fleury reports from New York.

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