November 2025 Jobs Report: U.S. Adds 64,000
November 2025 jobs report shows payrolls rose 64,000 and unemployment climbed to 4.6%; a 43-day shutdown delayed data and muddied policy signals.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Nonfarm payrolls rose 64,000 in November and have shown little net change since April.
- Unemployment rate rose to 4.6% as part-time workers for economic reasons reached 5.5 million.
- A 43-day federal shutdown disrupted BLS data collection and produced revisions that complicate momentum readings.
HIGH POTENTIAL TRADES SENT DIRECTLY TO YOUR INBOX
Add your email to receive our free daily newsletter. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its November 2025 jobs report on December 16, showing nonfarm payrolls rose 64,000, exceeding economists’ 45,000–50,000 estimate. The unemployment rate edged up to 4.6%, reflecting about 7.8 million unemployed. The report was delayed by a 43-day federal government shutdown that disrupted data collection.
Payroll Growth Masks Underlying Weakness Amid Shutdown Disruptions
The Bureau said total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in November and has shown minimal net change since April. The unemployment rate was little changed from September but rose from 4.2% a year earlier. The labor-force participation rate stood at 62.5%, and the employment-population ratio was 59.6%, both essentially steady since September.
Measures of labor underutilization increased. Workers employed part time for economic reasons rose by 909,000 to 5.5 million. Job gains were concentrated in health care, construction, and social assistance. Health care added 46,000 jobs, including 24,000 in ambulatory services, 11,000 in hospitals, and 11,000 in nursing and residential care. Construction employment rose by 28,000, led by 19,000 in nonresidential specialty trades. Social assistance increased by 18,000.
Federal government employment declined by 6,000 in November after a 162,000 drop in October, leaving federal payrolls down 271,000 since January. Transportation and warehousing jobs fell by 18,000, with couriers and messengers accounting for the entire decline.
The 43-day federal shutdown delayed the report and disrupted October data collection. The Bureau revised August payrolls to a decline of 26,000 and September to an increase of 108,000, a net downward revision of 33,000. Secondary analysis infers October payrolls fell about 105,000, reflecting both federal employment swings and the disrupted sample.
The combination of a modest headline payroll gain, rising unemployment, a sharp increase in part-time workers for economic reasons, and sizable revisions linked to the shutdown complicates interpretation of near-term labor-market momentum and any policy signals from the data.
"Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in November (+64,000) and has shown little net change since April," the Bureau said.
