Stocks are holding on to their gains for the week after the government reported that hiring held up in December.

The Dow Jones industrial average is on track for its best week in more than six months.

The Dow was up 21 points at 13,413 at noon Friday. It's up 3.5 percent for the week.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose four points to 1,463 and is up 4.1 percent in the week, its biggest gain in more than a year. The Nasdaq composite rose less than a point to 3,101.

Stocks have surged this week after lawmakers passed a bill to avoid a combination of government spending cuts and tax increases that have come to be known as the "fiscal cliff."

U.S. employers added 155,000 jobs last month.