U.S. creates 211,000 jobs in November; unemployment 5%

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The U.S. economy added 211,000 new jobs in November, enough to keep the Federal Reserve on track to raise interest rates later this month. Economists polled by MarketWatch had expected a gain of 200,000 nonfarm jobs. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 5%, kept in place by more people joining the labor force in search of work. The labor-force participation rate rose a tick to 62.5%. Employment gains for October and September, meanwhile, were revised up by a combined 35,000, the Labor Department said Friday. The government said 298,000 new jobs were created in October instead of 271,000, marking the biggest gain of 2015. September's gain was raised to 145,000 from 137,000.

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