America’s Labor Market Has Added 227,000 New Jobs

The job market in the United States hired 227,000 workers in November, a clear bounce-back from October’s slow hiring, according to The Associated Press. This recovery comes after strikes and hurricanes slashed payrolls last month with only 36,000 jobs added. 

The revised job growth estimates for September and October added 56,000 jobs, making the boost even more notable. However, the unemployment rate increased slightly, from 4.1% in October to 4.2% in November, which is still low. On the other hand, hourly earnings rose 0.4% month-on-month and 4% year-on-year, beating estimates and reflecting the continued robustness of workers’ incomes. 

Hiring additions remained concentrated in a few industries, with healthcare and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, and government accounting for 70% of the growth. 22,000 more jobs were added to factories, thanks in large part to the ending of strikes at firms such as Boeing. But retailers lost 28,000 jobs, reflecting uneven recovery across sectors. 

Read more: 50 Highest Paying Retail Jobs in the USA for 2024-2025

Economic Context and Future Outlook  

The U.S. economy as a whole has been tough on itself. Consumer spending and job growth helped to keep the economy going, with GDP growing at an annualized rate of 2.8% in July-September despite high borrowing costs. Inflation, which reached its highest in June 2022 at 9.1%, declined to 2.6% in November 2024. 

Business Perspectives and Challenges  

The labour market is exhibiting signs of recovery, but companies are still wary. Chris Butler, CEO of National Tree Company, named muted consumer spending as a sticking point. Heavy discounts and tariff worries from the incoming Trump administration are forming the company’s conservative 2025 hiring agenda. 

“We’re probably going to bring in a couple of roles,” Butler said, ‘but it’s not really going to be a recruiting juggernaut.