U.S. unemployment rate declines to 4.6 percent

U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez said Dec. 2 that the United States experienced diminished unemployment in November and robust job growth over the past six years, citing figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ just-released Employment Situation Summary.

“Under President Obama’s leadership, the U.S. economy continued to demonstrate steady growth in November, with the addition of 178,000 jobs and the decline of the unemployment rate to 4.6 percent,” Perez said in a statement. “This latest report is one more positive indicator of economic resilience, as American businesses have added 15.6 million jobs since February 2010, in the longest recorded streak of job growth in U.S. history.

“We have made incredible progress since the depths of the recession. It’s particularly encouraging to see employment increases in industries like professional and business services, which has added 571,000 new jobs over the past year, as well as healthcare and construction, which have added 407,000 and 59,000 jobs, respectively, over the same period. Other economic indicators provide additional reason for confidence. As we head into the holiday shopping season, retail sales and consumer confidence are strong. Average hourly earnings have risen by 2.5 percent over the past year.”