Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in November (+64,000) and has shown little net change since April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In November, the unemployment rate, at 4.6 percent, was little changed from September. Employment rose in health care and construction in November, while federal government continued to lose jobs. This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment survey measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For ... (full story)

Nonfarm payrolls grew slightly more than expected in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday in numbers delayed by the government shutdown. Job growth totaled 64,000 for the month, better than the Dow Jones estimate for 45,000. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, more than expected. In addition to the November report, the BLS released an abbreviated October count that showed payrolls down 105,000. While there was no official estimate, Wall Street economists were largely expecting a decline following a surprise increase of 108,000 in September. The October slump came from a steep fall in government ... (full story)