Statement by U.S. Secretary of Labor Scalia on the November Jobs Report

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia issued the following statement on the November 2019 Employment Situation report:

"The November jobs report vastly outpaced predictions, with 266,000 jobs created. With 41,000 jobs in upward revisions for September and October, 6.6 million total jobs have been created since January 2017.

"The unemployment rate of 3.5% matched the September 2019 rate, a level that has not been achieved since 1969. November 2019 marks the 21st consecutive month in which the unemployment rate has been at or below 4%.

"Year-over-year wages have grown at or above 3.0% for 16 straight months. It is encouraging to see sectors like retail and leisure and hospitality leading wage growth.

"Today's report shows the economy continues to flourish. But we must continue to seek more expansion and opportunities for all Americans—and a critical step in that direction is enactment, now, of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement."