The U.S. economy added just 210,000 jobs in November, far below expectations of 500,000 new positions as the country prepares for new COVID rules amid the threat posed by the Omicron variant.
“The Labor Department said in its monthly payroll report released Friday that payrolls in November rose by just 210,000, well below the 550,000 jobs forecast by Refinitiv economists. It marked the worst month for job creation so far this year. The unemployment rate (which is calculated based on a separate survey) dropped more than expected to 4.2% from 4.6% — the lowest level since the pandemic began,” reports Fox News.
“Today’s employment report is doubly disappointing, because the reference week occurred just as it looked like Covid was on the retreat,” said Justin Wolfers, a University of Michigan economist. “This was a moment for people to return to malls and to return to work. The Covid-related news has only gotten worse since then.”
“A mixed-bag of industries accounted for growth last month. Substantial gains took place in professional and business services (90,000), transportation and warehousing (50,000) and construction (31,000). But retail employment fell by 20,000 last month on a seasonally adjusted basis, despite the upcoming holiday season,” adds Fox.
Read the full report here.
