The Employment Situation: November 1996 — 1996-12-06

Nonfarm payroll employment increased in November, and the unemployment rate edged up to 5.4 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Payroll employment rose by 118,000, with modest but widespread gains occurring throughout the private sector. Average hourly earnings rose by 9 cents over the month, following a decline of 1 cent in October. About 7.2 million persons were unemployed in November, 273,000 more than in the previous month. The increase was concentrated among those unemployed for fewer than 5 weeks. The unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in November, up slightly from 5.2 percent in October. The rate for whites edged up to 4.6 percent, while rates were essentially unchanged for blacks (10.6 percent) and Hispanics (8.3 percent), as well as for adult men (4.5 percent), adult women (4.8 percent), and teenagers (17.0 percent). (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-5.) Total employment was 127.6 million in November, little different from the previous month.