Employment rises by 228,000 in November

WASHINGTON — Nonfarm payroll employment rose by 228,000 jobs in November 2017, according to the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), but the unemployment rate stayed steady at 4.1 percent.

Professional and business services saw the biggest employment increase in November, with 48,000 jobs, followed by manufacturing with 31,000 jobs, the agency said.

Health care gained 30,000 jobs, and construction grew by 23,000, the BLS said. However, there was little change in such sectors as wholesale trade, retail trade, transportation and warehousing, it said.

On Dec. 6, payroll services firm ADP Inc. came out with its own monthly jobs report, saying that nonfarm payroll employment grew by 190,000 jobs in November.

Medium-sized businesses (50 to 499 employees) saw the biggest gains during the month, with 99,000 new jobs, according to ADP. Small businesses (one to 49 employees) gained 50,000 jobs, and large businesses (500 or more employees) grew by 41,000, the report said.

Manufacturing grew by 40,000 jobs in November, but construction lost 4,000 jobs, according to ADP. Franchise employment gained 28,300 jobs, including 4,600 in the auto parts and dealers sector, it said.

In its monthly jobs report, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) said its members' job creation plans reached an all-time high in November.

"We have never seen this kind of intensity around job creation in the 44-year history of the NFIB Jobs Report," NFIB President and CEO Juanita Duggan said.

"This is a powerful signal that small business is roaring back to life and ready to lead another period of economic expansion," she said.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing (AAM) praised the November employment figures.

The U.S. manufacturing sector has gained 171,000 jobs so far in 2017, putting it on course to have its best job creation record since 2014 when 208,000 jobs were added, the AAM said.

However, the U.S. trade deficit was $48.7 billion in November, its highest rate since January, the alliance said.

"A healthy boost in manufacturing jobs is something to cheer about," AAM President Scott Paul said. "Now imagine the possibilities if we had better public policies to support manufacturing: Reciprocal trade, investments in infrastructure, workforce development and strong R&D."