Transmission of material in this news release is embargoed until USDL-25-1581
8:30 a.m. (ET) Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Technical information:
Household data: (202) 691-6378 * cpsinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/cps
Establishment data: (202) 691-6555 * cesinfo@bls.gov * www.bls.gov/ces
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 * PressOffice@bls.gov
THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION -- NOVEMBER 2025
Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in November (+64,000) and has shown little net
change since April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. In November, the
unemployment rate, at 4.6 percent, was little changed from September. Employment rose in health
care and construction in November, while federal government continued to lose jobs.
This news release presents statistics from two monthly surveys. The household survey measures labor
force status, including unemployment, by demographic characteristics. The establishment survey
measures nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry. For more information about the
concepts and statistical methodology used in these two surveys, see the Technical Note.
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| Federal Government Shutdown |
| |
| Publication of November 2025 data was delayed by more than a week because of a lapse in federal |
| appropriations (from October 1 through November 12). Both the household and establishment |
| surveys required additional data collection and processing time in November. BLS did not |
| publish an October 2025 Employment Situation news release. |
| |
| For more information, see the additional notes about the impact of the shutdown on the |
| household survey and the establishment survey at the end of this news release. |
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Household Survey Data
In November, both the unemployment rate, at 4.6 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at
7.8 million, were little changed from September. These measures are higher than last November, when
the jobless rate was 4.2 percent, and the number of unemployed people was 7.1 million. (See table
A-1. Household survey data for October 2025 were not collected due to the federal government
shutdown. Analysis of household survey data in this news release refers to changes from September
to November unless otherwise specified. For more information about the impact of the shutdown on
household data, see the note at the end of this news release.)
Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rate for teenagers was 16.3 percent in November, an
increase from September. The jobless rates for adult men (4.1 percent), adult women (4.1 percent),
Whites (3.9 percent), Blacks (8.3 percent), Asians (3.6 percent), and Hispanics (5.0 percent)
showed little change. (See tables A-1, A-2, and A-3.)
The number of people jobless less than 5 weeks was 2.5 million in November, up by 316,000 from
September. The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) changed little
at 1.9 million in November and accounted for 24.3 percent of all unemployed people. (See table
A-12.)
In November, both the labor force participation rate (62.5 percent) and the employment-population
ratio (59.6 percent) were little changed from September. These measures showed little or no change
over the year. (See table A-1.)
The number of people employed part time for economic reasons was 5.5 million in November, an
increase of 909,000 from September. These individuals would have preferred full-time employment but
were working part time because their hours had been reduced or they were unable to find full-time
jobs. (See table A-8.)
The number of people not in the labor force who currently want a job, at 6.1 million in November,
was little changed from September. These individuals were not counted as unemployed because they
were not actively looking for work during the 4 weeks preceding the survey or were unavailable to
take a job. (See table A-1.)
Among those not in the labor force who wanted a job, the number of people marginally attached to
the labor force, at 1.8 million in November, was little changed from September. These individuals
wanted and were available for work and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months but had
not looked for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey. The number of discouraged workers, a
subset of the marginally attached who believed that no jobs were available for them, also changed
little at 651,000 in November. (See Summary table A.)
Establishment Survey Data
Total nonfarm payroll employment changed little in November (+64,000) and has shown little net
change since April. In November, employment rose in health care and construction. Federal
government employment declined by 6,000, following a loss of 162,000 in October. (See table B-1.)
In November, health care added 46,000 jobs, in line with the average monthly gain of 39,000 over the
prior 12 months. Over the month, job gains occurred in ambulatory health care services (+24,000),
hospitals (+11,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+11,000).
Construction employment grew by 28,000 in November, as nonresidential specialty trade contractors
added 19,000 jobs. Construction employment had changed little over the prior 12 months.
Employment in social assistance continued to trend up in November (+18,000), primarily in
individual and family services (+13,000).
In November, employment edged down in transportation and warehousing (-18,000), reflecting a job
loss in couriers and messengers (-18,000). Transportation and warehousing employment has declined
by 78,000 since reaching a peak in February.
Federal government employment continued to decrease in November (-6,000). This follows a sharp
decline of 162,000 in October, as some federal employees who accepted a deferred resignation offer
came off federal payrolls. Federal government employment is down by 271,000 since reaching a peak
in January. (Federal employees on furlough during the government shutdown were counted as employed
in the establishment survey because they received pay, even if later than usual, for the pay period
that included the 12th of the month. Employees on paid leave or receiving ongoing severance pay are
counted as employed in the establishment survey.)
Employment showed little change over the month in other major industries, including mining,
quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; retail trade; information;
financial activities; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other
services.
In November, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged up by 5
cents, or 0.1 percent, to $36.86. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased
by 3.5 percent. In November, average hourly earnings of private-sector production and
nonsupervisory employees rose by 11 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $31.76. (See tables B-3 and B-8.)
The average workweek for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls edged up by 0.1 hour to 34.3
hours in November. In manufacturing, the average workweek changed little at 40.0 hours, and
overtime was unchanged at 2.9 hours. The average workweek for production and nonsupervisory
employees on private nonfarm payrolls was unchanged at 33.7 hours. (See tables B-2 and B-7.)
The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for August was revised down by 22,000, from -4,000
to -26,000, and the change for September was revised down by 11,000, from +119,000 to +108,000.
With these revisions, employment in August and September combined is 33,000 lower than previously
reported. Due to the recent federal government shutdown, this is the first publication of October
data and thus there are no revisions for October this month. (Monthly revisions result from
additional reports received from businesses and government agencies since the last published
estimates and from the recalculation of seasonal factors.)
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The Employment Situation for December is scheduled to be released on Friday, January 9, 2026, at
8:30 a.m. (ET).
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| Household Survey Estimates and the Federal Government Shutdown |
| |
| There are no household survey estimates for October 2025. Household survey data were not |
| collected for October 2025 due to the lapse in appropriations and were not collected |
| retroactively. The November reference period was the week that contained the 12th of the month, |
| a typical reference week. Collection of November data began a day late due to the shutdown and |
| was extended to provide more time for contacting households around the Thanksgiving holiday. |
| The November response rate was lower than usual at 64.0 percent. |
| |
| The lack of October 2025 data required an adjustment to the statistical weighting process. In |
| the household survey, composite estimation relies on data from the previous month as an input |
| to developing statistical weights for the current month's data. Without October data, the |
| composite weighting formula was adjusted by shifting previously-collected data forward 1 month. |
| |
| The November 2025 estimates are associated with slightly higher than usual standard errors. |
| This is due to multiple reasons: lower survey response, composite weighting changes, and the |
| use of a 2-month period of analysis rather than a 1-month period. For example, the November |
| unemployment rate required a 0.26 percentage point change to be statistically significant |
| compared with a required change in September of 0.21 percentage point. |
| |
| There were no changes to the household survey seasonal adjustment methodology. |
| |
| In the household survey, people are considered employed if they did any work at all for pay or |
| profit during the survey reference week or were temporarily absent from their jobs or |
| businesses. The lapse in appropriations lasted from October 1 through November 12, 2025. The |
| survey reference week was November 9 through 15. Because the government reopened before the end |
| of the November reference week, federal government workers were counted as employed in the |
| household survey. |
| |
| It is not possible to precisely quantify the effect of the federal government shutdown on |
| household survey estimates for November. |
| |
| Additional information about the impact of the shutdown on the household survey is available |
| online at www.bls.gov/cps/methods/2025-federal-government-shutdown-impact-cps.htm. |
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| |
| Establishment Survey Estimates and the Federal Government Shutdown |
| |
| This news release includes the initial establishment survey estimates for both October and |
| November; therefore, there are no revisions to report for October estimates. The collection |
| periods for October and November estimates were extended. Due to the extended data collection |
| period, October data are available at a detailed industry level that typically is only |
| available with the second publication of data. |
| |
| October estimates include data that businesses self-reported electronically during the shutdown |
| and data collected after the resumption of government operations in November. The collection |
| rates for October (73.9 percent) and November (73.8 percent) are higher than usual as a result |
| of the extended collection periods. |
| |
| There was no change to the reference period for October or November; it remained the pay period |
| that includes the 12th of the month. There were no changes to seasonal adjustment or estimation |
| methodology. |
| |
| The August and September data are final estimates and incorporate routine revisions. |
| |
| In the establishment survey, businesses and government agencies report the number of people on |
| payrolls during the pay period that includes the 12th of the month. Individuals who work or |
| receive pay for any part of the pay period are defined as employed. Federal employees on |
| furlough during the federal government shutdown were considered employed in the establishment |
| survey because they worked or received pay, even if later than usual, for the pay period that |
| included the 12th of the month. Other workers (including federal contractors) who did not work |
| or receive pay during the federal government shutdown were not counted among the employed. |
| |
| It is not possible to precisely quantify the total impact of the federal government shutdown on |
| payroll employment estimates for October and November. |
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| |
| Revision of Seasonally Adjusted Household Survey Data |
| |
| In accordance with usual practice, The Employment Situation news release for December 2025, |
| scheduled for January 9, 2026, will incorporate annual revisions in seasonally adjusted |
| household survey data. Seasonally adjusted data for the most recent 5 years are subject to |
| revision. |
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| Population Control Adjustments to the Household Survey |
| |
| The annual population control adjustments that are usually incorporated with the release of |
| January estimates in February will be delayed. When additional information is available, it |
| will be announced at www.bls.gov/cps/documentation.htm#pop. |
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| Upcoming Changes to the Establishment Survey Birth-Death Model |
| |
| Effective with the release of January 2026 data, the establishment survey will change the |
| birth-death model by incorporating current sample information each month. The change follows |
| the same methodology applied to the April through October 2024 forecasts during the 2024 |
| post-benchmark period (see question 9 in the CES Birth-Death Model Frequently Asked Questions |
| page at www.bls.gov/web/empsit/cesbdqa.htm). |
|_________________________________________________________________________________________________|
United States Department of Labor
