FOR DELIVERY: 9:30 A.M., E.S.T.
                            FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 1999

Advance copies of this statement are made available to the 
press under lock-up conditions with the explicit 
understanding that the data are embargoed until 8:30 a.m. 
Eastern Standard Time.

Statement of

Katharine G. Abraham
Commissioner
Bureau of Labor Statistics

Friday, December 3, 1999




Good morning.  I am pleased to have this opportunity to 
discuss the November employment and unemployment estimates 
that the Bureau of Labor Statistics released this morning.
The unemployment rate, as measured by our household 
survey, was unchanged at 4.1 percent in November and has 
been below 4.3 percent since August.  Nonfarm payroll 
employment, as measured by our establishment survey, rose by 
234,000 in November, in line with average monthly growth for 
the prior 12 months. 
In November, employment in the services industry rose 
by 120,000, following an above-average increase of 172,000 
in October.  Business services again accounted for a large 
proportion of the over-the-month increase.  Employment in 
computer and data processing services continued to rise, 
although the pace of job growth has slowed in recent months.  
Elsewhere in the services industry, employment in social 
services expanded by 25,000, and health services added 
14,000 jobs.  Aided by unseasonably warm weather during the 
survey reference period, the number of jobs in agricultural 
services rose by 10,000 in November (seasonally adjusted), 
the largest gain this year.  Employment in engineering and 
management services rose by 9,000 in November, less than 
half the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months.
Elsewhere in the service-producing sector, November job 
growth totaled 15,000 in transportation, 8,000 in finance, 
insurance, and real estate, and 6,000 in wholesale trade.  
Employment in retail trade was about unchanged, as a gain in 
eating and drinking places offset declines in miscellaneous 
retail, apparel, and furniture stores.  Government 
employment rose by 31,000, with the November gain 
concentrated in State education and local governments.
In the goods-producing sector of the economy, the 
number of construction jobs rose by 55,000 in November (on a 
seasonally adjusted basis), following an increase of 20,000 
in October.  The November increase in construction may have 
been boosted somewhat by the unseasonably warm, dry weather.  
Over the past year, job gains in construction have totaled 
283,000.
The number of factory jobs was little changed in 
November.  Job losses in manufacturing have eased in recent 
months.  Since June, job declines have averaged 9,000 per 
month, compared to average monthly job losses of 36,000 
during the first half of the year.  In November, job losses 
continued in durable goods manufacturing, especially in 
transportation equipment.  In nondurable goods, employment 
in food products rose by 8,000 in November, after showing no 
change in the prior month.  The number of jobs in apparel 
manufacturing continued to decline; since employment in this 
industry last peaked in November 1991, more than 1 in every 
3 jobs has been lost.   
Average weekly hours of private production or 
nonsupervisory workers edged up by 0.1 hour over the month 
to 34.6 hours.  The manufacturing workweek declined slightly 
(by 0.1 hour) in November to 41.7 hours, and factory 
overtime was unchanged at 4.7 hours.  Average hourly 
earnings of private production or nonsupervisory workers 
rose by 2 cents in November, following an increase of 4 
cents in October (as revised).  Over the year, average 
hourly earnings rose by 3.6 percent.
Turning to data from the household survey, the jobless 
rate held at 4.1 percent in November.  Unemployment rates 
for all the major demographic groups were little changed 
over the month.  
The number of persons employed part time even though 
they would have preferred full-time work--sometimes referred 
to as the “visibly underemployed”--was 3.2 million in 
November, about the same level as a year earlier.
Civilian employment was essentially unchanged in 
November and the proportion of the working age population 
that was employed, at 64.3 percent, also was little changed.  
Six percent of the employed held more than one job (not 
seasonally adjusted), down slightly from 6.3 percent in 
November 1998.
Among persons not in the labor force, there were about 
1.1 million individuals (not seasonally adjusted) who were 
classified as “marginally attached” to the labor market in 
November, down slightly from the year earlier.  These are 
persons who want and are available for work and looked for 
employment at some point in the past year, but are not 
currently searching for a job.  The number of discouraged 
workers, a subset of this group who have stopped looking 
because they believe their search would be in vain, was 
272,000 in November (not seasonally adjusted), somewhat 
lower than a year earlier.
In summary, payroll employment rose by 234,000 in 
November.  The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1 
percent.

My colleagues and I now would be glad to answer your 
questions.

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