Jobs back on track
Employers add workers at level close to forecasts and pre-Katrina average; unemployment holds at 5%.
December 2, 2005: 8:35 AM EST
NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - U.S. employers resumed adding jobs at a strong pace in November, according to a closely watched government report Friday that put the labor market in line with Wall Street expectations.
The Labor Department reported a net gain of 215,000 jobs on U.S. payrolls in the month, up from a revised 44,000 jobs added in October. Economists surveyed by Briefing.com had forecast a gain of 210,000 jobs in the month.
The gain is close to the average 195,000 jobs added in the first eight months of the year before Hurricane Katrina hit hiring the last two months.
The unemployment rate remained at 5 percent. That was in line with the forecasts of economists and unchanged from October.