Employment Essentially Unchanged in November

Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 132,000 in November, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 4.5 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reports. 

Job gains continued in several service-providing industries, including professional and business services, food services, and health care. Employment declined in construction and manufacturing.

Both the number of unemployed persons (6.8 million) and the unemployment rate (4.5 percent) were about unchanged in November. Over the year, these measures have declined from 7.6 million and 5.0 percent, respectively.