The unemployment rate fell to 4 percent in December, down 0.3 percent from the previous month and the lowest since the late 1970s. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the rate of persons aged 15 and over in the labor force reached 64.1%, compared with 63.9% in November, and the unemployment rate for all of 2017 is 4.2%, compared with 4.8% in 2016.