Handshake of business people sitting at the table in the office

Total nonfarm payroll employment grew by 199,000 jobs in November, according to the latest BLS jobs report. This figure is below the 12-month average of +240,000 jobs per month. The unemployment rate inched down to 3.7%, accounting for 6.3 million unemployed people, and labor force participation came in at 62.8% for the month.

Healthcare (+77,000), government (+49,000), and leisure and hospitality (+40,000) led job growth in November, while retail trade experienced a notable decline (-38,000).

Jobs in temporary help services also dropped over the month, decreasing by 13,600 jobs, and professional and business services lost 9,000 jobs. 

The latest report also shows a revision in total nonfarm employment for September, down to 262,000 from the previously reported 297,000. But October’s count stayed at 150,000.