U.S. jobs rose in November, extending a long streak of gains that have bolstered the world’s largest economy.
Employers added 227,000 jobs, led by health care firms, restaurants and bars, the Labor Department report showed.
It marked a strong recovery from October, when job growth slowed sharply amid disruptions from major storms and labor strikes.
The data came as analysts debated how much the US central bank would cut interest rates in the coming months.
The Federal Reserve began cutting rates in September, saying less borrowing was needed to keep the economy on track and prevent weakness in the labor market.
A month later, Jobs growth flatlineAs strikes at Boeing and other firms, the hurricane left millions of workers without pay.
But the bounceback in growth in the latest report supports the view that the weakness was largely temporary. The Labor Department said employment in October and September was also stronger than previously estimated.
Many analysts said they still expect a rate cut to be announced when Fed officials meet this month, with the unemployment rate rising.
The unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from 4.1%, returning to the highest level since August.
But in recent remarks, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell emphasized that bank officials did not see the need to cut rates sharply.
Richard Flynn, managing director of Charles Schwab UK, said: “The economy has reached a point where it is growing healthily, with fairly full employment, and continued wage growth – we are seeing little evidence of that.” That such problems need to be solved.
“While it is unclear what lies ahead, for now, the macroeconomic backdrop is positive, and the market’s mood music appears appropriately bullish.”
Diane Sonik, chief economist at KPMG US, said the Fed needs to proceed cautiously, given uncertainty about how President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for tax cuts and tariff hikes will play out. May affect the economy.
Over the past 12 months, average hourly wages have also increased by 4 percent, which some analysts say could set the stage for a rebound in inflation.
“The Fed has already started warning that they are going to slow the pace of cuts because of the strength of the economy,” he said.
“Given the resilience of the job market, I think the issue is still how to win the war against inflation.”