December 05, 2005 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Payroll employment up in November

Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 215,000 to 134.3 million in November. This followed 2 months of little growth in employment, due in part to the direct and indirect effects of hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast.

[Chart data—TXT]

During the first 8 months of the year, payroll employment grew by an average of 196,000 per month. 

In November, gains were widespread with notable increases in construction, professional and technical services, health care, and food services and drinking places.

These data on employment are from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) program and have been seasonally adjusted. More information can be found in The Employment Situation: November 2005 (PDF) (TXT), news release USDL 05-2258. Data for the most recent two months are preliminary.