US unemployment rate climbs to 4.6% as economy adds 64,000 jobs in November

The economy moved in two directions at once in November, adding 64,000 jobs while the unemployment rate rose to 4.6%, according to the monthly report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Healthcare and construction added jobs, while the federal government kept losing workers. The BLS said, “Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in November,” making it clear that the labor market has stayed flat since April.

And because Washington spent half the fall fighting over money again, the federal shutdown delayed the report by more than a week.

The agency said, “BLS did not publish an October 2025 Employment Situation news release,” meaning this November report is doing double duty.

Track household changes across labor groups

The BLS’s household survey showed 7.8 million unemployed people in November, slightly above September and noticeably higher than the 7.1 million recorded last year, according to the report.

The jobless rate for teenagers hit 16.3%, moving higher since September. Adult men and women held a 4.1% rate, while Whites came in at 3.9%, Blacks at 8.3%, Asians at 3.6%, and Hispanics at 5.0%. No big moves in these categories.

Short-term joblessness rose. The number of people unemployed for less than five weeks reached 2.5 million, which is 316,000 more than in September. Long-term unemployment sat at 1.9 million, making up 24.3% of all jobless people.

The labor force participation rate stayed at 62.5%, with the employment-population ratio stuck at 59.6%. Both measures barely budged over the year.

Part-time workers who wanted full-time jobs jumped to 5.5 million, an increase of 909,000 from September. These workers faced reduced hours or could not secure full-time roles.

Another 6.1 million people wanted a job but were not counted as unemployed because they were not looking in the past four weeks. Within this group, 1.8 million were marginally attached to the labor force, and 651,000 were discouraged workers.

US federal employment fell 6,000 in November after a brutal 162,000 drop in October tied to workers who accepted deferred resignations earlier in the year. Since January, federal payrolls are down 271,000.

The BLS clarified, “Federal employees on furlough during the shutdown were counted as employed because they received pay for the pay period that included the 12th of the month.”

Other major industries showed little change, including mining, manufacturing, retail, information, financial activities, professional services, leisure and hospitality, and other services.

BLS revised August payrolls down 22,000, taking the total to -26,000, and revised September down 11,000 to 108,000, leaving both months combined 33,000 lower than first reported. With October missing due to the shutdown, there were no revisions for that month.

White House advances Fed chair decision process

Meanwhile, as this report makes the Federal Reserve’s job harder yet again, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump plans to pick a new chair by January 1.

“It’s at the president’s pace,” he said, adding that Trump has been “very, very deliberate” and “very direct with the candidates” about their views on Fed policy, Fed structure, and the economy. Scott said National Economic Director Kevin Hassett and former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh remain top contenders. He pushed back on “this idea that Kevin Hassett should be disqualified,” saying past economic aides have served at the Fed, including Janet Yellen.

Scott said Trump even asked in one interview why the Fed “needed hundreds of Ph.D. economists.” He also projected $100 billion to $150 billion in tax refunds next quarter, saying that would boost growth. He expects GDP to end the year up 3.5%.

On China, Scott said Beijing has “done everything we negotiated” under the trade truce but must raise domestic demand. “The world cannot have a China that has a trillion dollar trade surplus,” he said.

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