What happens next Where's my refund? Best CD rates this month Shop and save 🤑
BUSINESS
U.S. Department of Labor

Employment up in 41 states in November

Paul Davidson
USA TODAY
The labor market has accelerated recently.(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Unemployment rates fell in 41 states in November, reflecting a national labor market that had a breakout month.

Joblessness increased in three states and was unchanged in six, the Labor Department said Friday.

Twenty-two states posted jobless-rate declines of at least 2% on a seasonally adjusted basis last month, the most with significant drops this year.

North Carolina had the steepest slide, to 5.8% from 6.3%. The state is reaping the benefits of a shift in manufacturing from old-line textiles and furniture sectors to fast-growing industries, including pharmaceuticals and aerospace, says senior economist Michael Dolega of TD Economics.

Unemployment fell 0.4 percentage points in four states, resulting in rates of 5.6% in Maryland, 6% in Delaware, 6.7% in Michigan and 7.2% in Georgia. Joblessness also fell significantly in Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia

Georgia's sharp decline allowed it to be overtaken by Mississippi as the state with the highest unemployment rate, 7.3%. North Dakota, which is benefiting from an oil boom, continued to have the lowest, 2.7%

Payrolls increased in 37 states and the District of Columbia, California notched the largest increase, 90,100. Florida:followed, with 41,900 gains and Texas picked up 34,800 jobs. California and Florida are advancing partly on a revival in housing construction, Dolega says.

Vermont had the biggest increase in percentage terms, with employment rising 1.2 percentage points, followed by Hawaii, Delaware South Carolina and Wisconsin.

The unusually large number of states with substantial drops in unemployment wasn't mirrored in the national jobless rate. Earlier this month, the Labor Department said the U.S. rate was unchanged at 5.8% as a surge of workers into the labor force, including discouraged workers who had stopped looking for work, offset a rise in employment. State and national payroll figures don't always align because of quirks in seasonal adjustments.

Still, the national report, like the state data, showed an accelerating labor market, with employers across the country adding 321,000 jobs in November, the most in nearly three years. The number of job gains comes from a survey of employers, while the unemployment rate comes from a survey of households.

A "Now Hiring" sign hangs in front of a McDonald's under construction in Tempe, Ariz.
Featured Weekly Ad