The Employment Situation: November 2000 — 2000-12-08

Payroll employment increased by 94,000 in November, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 4.0 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Employment rose by 148,000 in the private sector, with gains in the service-producing industries. Employment was little changed in the goods-producing industries and declined in government. Average hourly earnings increased by 6 cents. Both the number of unemployed persons (5.7 million) and the unemployment rate (4.0 percent) were essentially unchanged in November. The jobless rate has remained within the 3.9- to 4.1-percent range since October 1999. Unemployment rates for most of the major worker groups--adult men (3.5 percent), adult women (3.4 percent), teenagers (13.1 percent), whites (3.5 percent), and blacks (7.4 percent)--showed little change over the month. The rate for Hispanics rose to 6.1 percent.