By Tom Burnett CFA
On December 16, 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics issued its Employment Report for November. There was no October report due to the Federal government shutdown in the fall. Jobs increased by 64, 000 in November and the unemployment rate increased to 4.6%, the highest rate of the 2025 year. The number of job seekers rose to 7.8 million, above the 7.1 million from one year ago.
The average hourly wage for nonfarm payrolls rose by $0.05 to $36.36, up 5.5% from a year ago.
Revisions to previously announced job totals for August and September came to a reduction of 33,000. There was no adjustment for October due to the Federal shutdown.
The next Employment Report will be issued on January 9, 2026.
Tom Burnett CFA us Director of Research