Unemployment Rate Hits Lowest Point in Pandemic

The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% despite the weakest monthly gain in nearly a year. Employers added only 210,000 jobs in November.

America's unemployment rate tumbled last month to its lowest point since the pandemic struck, even as employers appeared to slow their hiring — a mixed picture that pointed to a resilient economy that's putting more people to work.

The government reported Friday that private businesses and other employers added just 210,000 jobs in November, the weakest monthly gain in nearly a year and less than half of October's gain of 546,000.

But other data from the Labor Department's report painted a much brighter picture. The unemployment rate plummeted from 4.6% to 4.2% as a substantial 1.1 million Americans said they found jobs last month.