The U.S. economy created 263,000 nonfarm jobs in November, while the unemployment rate remained unchanged from the previous month at 3.7 percent, the Labor Department said Friday.
Growth in nonfarm payrolls exceeded the market consensus of an increase of 200,000.
The department revised upward the nonfarm payrolls growth reported for October from 261,000 to 284,000. It revised the figure downward in September from 315,000 to 269,000.
In November, private industry generated 221,000 jobs, and the government added 42,000 jobs.
Sectors that saw notable job gains included leisure and hospitality, which rose by 88,000, and government. Employment declined in retail trade as well as in transportation and warehousing.
Hourly pay in the private sector, a key factor behind consumer spending, averaged $32.82, up from $32.64 the previous month.
