Jessica Dickler
CNNMoney
January 11, 2010

NEW YORK -- As economists and investors reel from a surprisingly weak jobs number, there are 3,300 people that may actually be cheering December's report.

That's the number of employees that were added to the federal government's payroll last month.

As job losses continued in construction, manufacturing, retail, leisure and hospitality, as well as at the state and local government level, the Federal government was one of the few areas that posted a job gain.

The federal government, excluding the U.S. Postal Service, has notched an increase in jobs for seven consecutive months bringing December's total to 2,167,000, up from 2,163,700 in November.