January 5, 2012 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Metro area employment and unemployment, November 2011

Metropolitan area unemployment rate comparisons, versus prior year and U.S. unemployment rate, November 2011, not seasonally adjusted
Comparison	Number of areas (p)
Metropolitan area unemployment rates compared to U.S. unemployment rate of 8.2 percent (November 2011)
Below	224
Above	137
Equal	11
Metropolitan area unemployment rates compared to prior year unemployment rate (November 2010)
Higher	16
Lower	351
Unchanged	5
Footnotes: (p) preliminary

Workplace Injuries and Job Requirements for Construction Laborers
Examines typical physical requirements for construction laborers, exposures they experience on the job, and nonfatal and fatal injuries they incur.
Housing Leases in the U.S. Rental Market
Summarizes responses to two new survey questions about leasing.
Spotlight on State Productivity Statistics
Looks at short- and long-term trends in labor productivity, output, hours worked, and labor compensation in each state.
The Construction Industry: Characteristics of the Employed, 2003–20 Examines the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of construction industry workers.
Demographic Changes in Employment during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Compares employment before and during the COVID-19 pandemic for men and women and for different racial and ethnic groups, age groups, and other worker characteristics.