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

STEM occupations: past, present, and future
A look at employment and wages in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics occupations.
Workplace injuries and illnesses and employer costs for workers’ compensation
Workplace injury and illness data and the costs to employers for workers’ compensation in natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations.
A look at the future of the U.S. labor force to 2060
Projected long-term trends in the growth, size, and composition of the labor force.
Union membership in the United States
Historical trends in union membership among employed wage and salary workers; union membership by a variety of demographic characteristics.