Total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 155,000 in November, a decrease from last month’s downwardly revised reading of 237,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The national unemployment rate remained at 3.7%.
Private service-providing industries gained 132,000 jobs, led by health care and social assistance, which added 40,000 jobs.
Goods-producing employment rose by 29,000 jobs during the month, as gains in manufacturing led by adding 27,000. Construction employment gained only 5,000 jobs in November.
The civilian labor force participation rate remained at 62.9 percent. Workers unemployed for less than 14 weeks increased by 61,000, while the number of long-term unemployed, those jobless for 27 weeks or more, fell by 120,000 and accounted for 21 percent of the unemployed. The number of discouraged workers was 453,000, down slightly from a year earlier.
Average hourly earnings rose by 6 cents, settling at $27.35. Over the past year, average hourly earnings have risen by 81 cents, or 3.1%, matching last month’s growth.
Read the BLS release.