Commissioner's Statement on the Employment Situation News Release — 2009-12-04

Advance copies of this statement are made available to the press under lock-up conditions with the explicit understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Thank you for the opportunity to discuss the employment and unemployment data we released this morning. The unemployment rate edged down to 10.0 percent in November, and nonfarm payroll employment was essentially unchanged (-11,000). Additionally, after revision, the estimates of job loss for September and October were smaller than reported last month. In November, job losses occurred in construction, manufacturing, and information, while employment rose in temporary help services and health care. Construction employment fell by 27,000 over the month, compared with an average monthly decline of 63,000 in the prior 6 months. In recent months, most of the decline has occurred in the nonresidential components. In manufacturing, employment fell by 41,000 in November, about in line with the trend over the prior 4 months.