U.S. Adds 228,000 Jobs in November, Unemployment Steady at 4.1%

The U.S. economy continued to see robust job creation in November, with strong gains in manufacturing, health care and construction, the government reported Friday.

Employers added 288,000 new positions, far more than economists expected, while the unemployment rate held steady at 4.1 percent.

The result showed employers were still eager to fill openings even as the world's largest economy approaches full employment.

The surge in employment was sure to be a factor pushing the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next week at its final meeting of the year, as markets overwhelmingly expect.

But despite the strong result, the report showed some signs of cooling in the U.S. job creation engine in recent months.

Job creation this year has been far slower than in 2016, when the monthly average was 187,000. Over the last three months, the average was 170,000, below the rate so far this year of 174,000.

President Donald Trump has vowed to add 25 million new jobs over a decade, in large part by revitalizing manufacturing sector while enacting a pro-growth agenda of tax cuts and slashed regulation.

However, economists say that target is unrealistic in an economy at full employment.

Average hourly earnings rose 0.2 percent for the month to $26.55, leaving them up 2.5 percent over the last 12 months, or just ahead of inflation.