December employment report released: What’s the current US unemployment rate?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has released the latest employment report. The unemployment rate in the United States has dipped slightly from last month.
At the beginning of each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), an agency of the United States Department of Labor, releases the employment report of the previous month.
On Friday, Dec. 8, the BLS shared employment data for November. According to the agency, the US economy added 199,000 jobs last month, including gains in healthcare, government, manufacturing, as well as in leisure and hospitality.
According to the Department of Labor, the healthcare sector gained 77,000 jobs, including 36,000 in outpatient healthcare services and 24,000 in hospitals.
Government employment increased by 49,000 people, while leisure and hospitality employment went up by more than 40,000.
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The US unemployment rate
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that last month, the unemployment rate fell by 0.2% to 3.7%, and the number of unemployed showed little change, remaining at 6.3 million.
These are the unemployment rates among the main groups of workers in November:
- Adolescents: 11.4%
- Adult men: 3.7%
- Adult women: 3.1%
- Whites: 3.3%
- Blacks: 5.8%
- Asians: 3.5%
- Hispanics: 4.6%
The BLS also reported that, in November, the number of long-term unemployed (those unemployed for 27 weeks or more) fell to 1.2 million. These people represented 18.3% of all unemployed.
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How the unemployment rate has developed in 2023
Compared to January data, the unemployment rate has increased, according to BLS figures. At the beginning of the year, this indicator was at 3.4%, rising to 3.6% in February.
For March, the unemployment rate fell slightly to 3.5%. The decline continued in April, when the rate fell to 3.4%, the lowest this year. In May, the indicator rose by 0.3% to 3.7%.
In June, the unemployment rate slid to 3.6%, followed by a second consecutive loss in July, when the rate was 3.5%. A month later, in August, this economic indicator rose to 3.8%, then remained unchanged in September.
For October, unemployment recorded its highest point in the year, as the rate rose to 3.9%. It then fell again in November to 3.7%.
As for the December data, these will be shared in January of next year. According to the BLS calendar, the employment report for the last month of the year will be released on Friday, Jan. 5, 2024.