November unemployment rate jumps to 4.6% as labor market shows signs of weakness

Labor Market Overview - The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% in November, the highest since September 2021, up from 4.4% in September [1] - US employers added 64,000 jobs in November, exceeding expectations of a 50,000 increase [1][4] - Payroll employment dropped by 105,000 in October, primarily due to federal layoffs, with the federal government losing 168,000 jobs since September [2] Sector Performance - Employment increased in the health care and construction sectors, adding 46,000 and 28,000 jobs respectively [3] - Other sectors, such as manufacturing and transportation and warehousing, experienced job losses [3] Wage and Employment Trends - Wage growth slowed to 3.5% in November, the slowest pace since before the pandemic [6] - The number of Americans unemployed for more than six months rose to 1.9 million in November, up from 1.7 million the previous year [6] Federal Reserve Insights - The Federal Reserve is closely monitoring the unemployment rate, which has risen from 4% in January [5] - Fed Chairman Jerome Powell indicated that the jobs numbers may be distorted and should be viewed with skepticism [5]