Private job losses mount in December Wednesday January 7, 10:09 am ET By Burton Frierson NEW YORK (Reuters) - Job losses and plans to lay off workers hammered the struggling U.S. economy in the final month of 2008, according to private reports that foreshadow grim labor market data from the government on Friday. U.S. private employers shed 693,000 jobs in December, up sharply from the revised 476,000 jobs lost in November and far more than economists estimated, a report by ADP Employer Services said on Wednesday. http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/090107/business_us_usa_economy.html