WASHINGTON (Dec. 4, 2015) — U.S. nonfarm payroll employment grew by 211,000 jobs in November, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The U.S. unemployment rate remains unchanged at 5 percent, the BLS said in its Dec. 4 report.
Among various employment sectors, construction saw the biggest gains during the month, with 46,000 new jobs, the BLS said. Retail trade employment grew by 31,000 jobs; food service and drinking establishment employment, by 32,000 jobs; professional and technical service, by 28,000 jobs; and health care employment, by 24,000 jobs.
However, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, financial activities and government employment remained virtually flat, the agency said. The mining sector lost 11,000 jobs, and the information sector lost 12,000 jobs.
Manufacturing lost 1,000 jobs in November, the latest in a series of dismal job results for that sector, according to Scott Paul, president of the Alliance for American Manufacturing.
“It's the latest evidence that manufacturing in America is at or near a state of recession,” Mr. Paul said. “While much of the service sector is growing albeit with low wages, our goods-producing economy is struggling under the yoke of global weakness and China's massive industrial overcapacity.”
The National Federation of Independent Business said job creation among its members barely grew in November. Forty-seven percent of respondents to the monthly NFIB Jobs Report also said they had trouble finding qualified applicants for available positions.
“This suggests that employers will face continued wage and benefit cost pressure in order to attract and keep good employees,” said NFIB Chief Economist William Dunkelberg.
The BLS employment report was fairly much in line with that of payroll services firm ADP Inc. In its monthly National Employment Report, ADP said the U.S. gained 217,000 private sector jobs in November.
As with recent monthly ADP reports, small businesses saw the biggest gains in employment, with 81,000 total. Some 46,000 jobs were created in businesses with one to 19 employees, and another 35,000 jobs were created in businesses with 20 to 49 employees.
Medium-sized businesses (50 to 499 employees) added 62,000 jobs during the month. Businesses with 500 to 999 employees added 57,000 jobs, and businesses with 1,000 employees or more added 17,000 jobs.
Franchise employment grew by 25,600 jobs in November, according to ADP. Some 6,630 of those jobs were created in auto parts businesses and dealerships.