Some experts now argue that the Fed may move to raise its key interest rate lever as early as March next year, but most are still sticking with midyear.

In addition, some of the worrisome signs that have haunted the monthly jobs report for years have not gone away.

The proportion of people in the labor force was unchanged last month and is stuck near multidecade lows, an indication that few of the workers who gave up the search for work during the lean years are likely to be hired anytime soon.

In addition, about 6.9 million Americans are working part time because they cannot find full-time positions. The broadest measure of unemployment, which includes these workers, dropped to 11.3 percent, down 0.1 percent from October.

Mr. Shepherdson cautioned that he wanted to see the stronger hourly wage gain in November — up 0.4 percent after an anemic 0.1 increase in October and no gain in September — continue for several months before he would be convinced higher wages were here to stay.

“I’ve had my fingers burned before,” he said.

The November data alone isn’t enough to shift the Fed’s thinking, said Guy Berger, United States economist at RBS. “In all likelihood, we will see faster wage growth over the next six months, but as far as the Fed is concerned, one month alone could be noise,” he said.