NATIONAL REPORT—U.S. employment rose by 266,000 in November. Both the unemployment rate, at 3.5%, and the number of unemployed persons, at 5.8 million, changed little in November, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
Notable job gains occurred in healthcare and in professional and technical services. Employment rose in manufacturing, reflecting the return of workers from a strike.
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (3.2%), adult women (3.2%), teenagers (12%), Whites (3.2%), Blacks (5.5%), Asians (2.6%), and Hispanics (4.2%) showed little or no change in November.
The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more), at 1.2 million, was essentially unchanged in November and accounted for 20.8% of the unemployed.
The labor force participation rate was little changed at 63.2% in November. The employment-population ratio was 61% for the third consecutive month.
The number of persons employed part time for economic reasons, at 4.3 million, changed little in November. These individuals, who would have preferred full-time employment, were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time jobs.
