November Employment Report Shows U.S. Economy Added 263,000 Jobs

The U.S. economy added 263,000 jobs in November and the jobless rate remained at 3.7%, signs of continued strength in the labor market.

The November payrolls gain compared with an upwardly revised 284,000 jobs in October, the Labor Department said Friday. Payrolls grew in leisure and hospitality, healthcare and government. Retailers and transportation-and-warehousing companies cut jobs in a sign of weak holiday hiring.

Average hourly earnings grew 5.1% in November from a year earlier, the department said. Wage growth has remained elevated but roughly stable after a sharp increase earlier in the year.

November job growth was roughly in line with the previous three months, when payrolls grew an average of 282,000 a month. Job growth continues to exceed the 2019 monthly average of 164,000, though gains have slowed from the first half of the year.