The Employment Situation: November 1997 — 1997-12-05

Employment rose sharply in November, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.6 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 404,000 with gains widespread throughout the private sector. Both the number of unemployed persons, 6.2 million, and the unemployment rate, 4.6 percent, were little changed in November. Since March, the number of unemployed persons has fallen by 895,000 and the jobless rate by 0.6 percentage point. In November, the unemployment rates for adult men and white workers each declined from 4.1 percent to 3.8 percent; the rate for Hispanics (6.9 percent) was also down. The jobless rates for adult women (4.0 percent), teenagers (15.0 percent), and blacks (9.6 percent) showed little or no movement over the month.