WASHINGTON: The U.S. posted 211,000 more jobs in November, in line with market expectation and cementing the outlook of an interest rate rise this month.
The total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 211,000 in November, and the unemployment rate remained at 5 percent, data from the Labor Department showed on Friday.
The Labor Department revised up previous two months’ job gains as the September and October data showed 35,000 more jobs than previously reported. Over the past three months, job gains have averaged at 218,000 per month.
The report came before the Federal Reserve’s policy meeting on Dec. 15 and 16, when investors expect the Fed to move up the interest rates.
Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen this week gave upbeat assessment of the U.S. economy at two different occasions, signaling that she is ready to raise interest rates later this month, preventing a surprise in markets or the economy.
The number of long-term unemployed, referring to those jobless for 27 weeks or more, was 2.1 million in November, accounting for 25.7 percent of all the unemployed.
The labor force participation rate, the share of the working-age population employed or looking for a job, stood at 62.5 percent.
Average hourly earnings rose 4 cents from October to 25.25 U.S. dollars in November. Over the year, the figure has risen by 2.3 percent. Economists forecast that wage growth will accelerate as the labor market tightens.
