Job gains were up slightly in November but remain off the pace of the past year.
In November, the U.S. economy added 199,000 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics report released Friday. It was an uptick of 49,000 from the 150,000 added in October.
“Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 199,000 in November. Employment growth is below the average monthly gain of 240,000 over the prior 12 months but is in line with job growth in recent months,” the BLS reported.
Unemployment dropped to 3.7 percent from 3.9 percent in October. The labor participation rate stayed virtually unchanged at 62.8 percent.
Of jobs added last month, healthcare accounted for 77,000. That jumped from the monthly average of 54,000 in the sector in the past year.
Government employment increased by 49,000. The hospitality industry brought on 40,000 new workers.
Manufacturing added 28,000 roles as the United Auto Workers’ strike ended.
The retail trade lost 38,000 jobs. Transportation and warehousing was also down 5,000 jobs.
The average wage increased by 12 cents to $34.10. Pay is up 4 percent in the past year. The average workweek increased to 34.4 hours.
