US lost 105,000 jobs in October and added 64,000 in November, according to delayed data
The US labor market grew by more than expected last month, recovering some of the damage inflicted by the federal government shutdown, according to official data.An estimated 105,000 jobs were lost in October, and 64,000 were added in November, a highly-anticipated report showed on Tuesday.Jobs growth was higher in November than anticipated by many economists, with a consensus forecast of some 40,000 jobs added.But the headline unemployment rate continued to climb – and hit 4.6%, a four-year high, last month – amid apprehension around the strength of the US economy.
Previous estimates for overall jobs growth in August and September were also downgraded, from a drop of 4,000 to 26,000, and from growth of 119,000 to 108,000, respectively.The latest jobs numbers, typically released monthly, were delayed due to the government shutdown.Federal government jobs declined by 162,000 in October, and 6,000 in November.The latest jobs numbers arrive against a tumultuous background for the US’s economic data, once regarded as the gold standard in government data.The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) announced that full October jobs data would not be released and November’s jobs data was delayed due to the 43-day federal government shutdown.
Questions have also been raised about its accuracy.Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell warned last week that the data from the BLS should be treated with a “skeptical eye” while the hangover left from the shutdown works through the system.There are signs that the US’s job market is weakening.ADP reported US private sector employers shed about 32,000 jobs in November after adding 47,000 jobs in October.The September jobs report, released late in November due to the federal government shutdown, stated the US added 119,000 jobs, higher than economist predictions.
Unemployment rate ticked up from 4.3% to 4.4% in September, its highest level since 2021.Powell cautioned last week that jobs figures are likely worse than the numbers that have been reported and that Trump’s immigration policies have hurt labor supply, which has kept the unemployment rate relatively flat.His comments came after the Fed announced it was cutting interest rates by a quarter point, a move toward “risk management” over concerns of a weakening labor market.
“Labor supply has also come down quite sharply.So, you know, if you had a world where there is just no growth in workers and you really don’t need a lot of jobs to have full employment, some people argue that is what we are looking at,” said Powell.“So, there is an overcount in the payroll job numbers, we think, continuing, and it will be corrected.I don’t have an exact month in my head right now.Again, I think forecasters generally understand that.
We think it is about 60,000 a month, so 40,000 jobs could be negative 20, but that could be wrong by 10 or 20 in either direction.”Powell also cautioned about the veracity of the jobs report data due to the lack of data collection in October and early November due to the government shutdown.“We are going to get data, but we are going to have to look at it carefully and a somewhat skeptical eye by the January meeting,” added Powell.Economists suggested on Tuesday that the latest jobs report was unlikely to persuade policymakers on the Fed’s open market committee to ease monetary policy, and cut rates, at its next meeting.“The labor market remains weak, but the pace of deterioration probably is too slow to spur the FOMC to ease again in January,” said Samuel Tombs, chief US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.
The BLS has been under attack from the Trump administration.In August, Trump fired BLS commissioner Erika McEntarfer, hours after the July jobs report was published.Trump claimed, without evidence, the report was “rigged” to make him look bad.His nominee to replace McEntarfer, EJ Antoni, was withdrawn in late September after bipartisan criticism over his lack of qualifications.The BLS was shut down, furloughing staff, during the 43-day shutdown of the federal government and a new nominee to lead the agency has yet to be made.
The lack of leadership at the agency comes as the number of staff at the agency has shrunk under the Trump administration.The agency lost 20% of staff from fiscal year 2024, 2,058 total employees, to proposed staff levels for fiscal year 2026, 1,851 total employees.
Festive food for less: Christmas dinner with all the cost trimmings
Figures show that the total cost of the all-important Christmas dinner is up 5% on a year ago, with the price of important elements such as pigs in blankets and stuffing up by 7%.With the cost of living still biting, however, a supermarket price war is taking some of the sting out of high food costs – with Aldi and Lidl selling the ingredients for a main Christmas meal for eight for less than £12.According to exclusive data prepared for Guardian Money by the analysts Assosia, the price of a frozen extra-large turkey is up 10p a kilogram to £3.70 (a 3% rise on a year ago) – which for an 8kg bird works out at £29.60
The 12 condiments of Christmas
Salt, sweet, bitter, acid, umami. While we don’t think to use too much “sweet” before dessert, it can counterbalance and enhance other flavours. Maple syrup is my sweetener of choice during the holidays because it just tastes cozy. Add it to roasted root vegetables or a poultry glaze, and it’s especially tasty in drinks, from hot apple cider to eggnog and even mulled wine.I’ve never met anyone who didn’t like butter, or ooh and ah at a homemade one
‘Every chef should train here’: Turkish restaurant ranks fourth on list of London’s top food spots
On a list of London’s best restaurants, you would expect to see the usual Michelin-starred suspects such as The Ledbury, Ikoyi and The Ritz. But high among these culinary heavyweights sits a humble salonu tucked away in the depths of north London.Neco Tantuni, a small Turkish eatery specialising in the foodie delights of Mersin, a city located on the southern coast of Turkey, has been crowned the fourth best restaurant in London by Vittles, the trendy food magazine that has become a bible for those looking for the best (and more off-the-radar) grub in the capital.“I’m totally shocked,” says Eren Kaya, whose parents hard graft has resulted in their restaurant, situated in a far-flung corner of Enfield, being placed near the top of the 99-strong list.The small shop, which was a greasy spoon cafe before being transformed into the hugely popular food hotspot, hasn’t fully shed the character of its former self
Ho, ho, Hamburg: bringing the flavours of a true German Christmas market home
From glühwein to lebkuchen, bratwurst to stollen, recreating the delicacies I sampled in the city’s festive markets is wholly achievable. Plus, a new digital cookbook for a good cause Sign up here for our weekly food newsletter, FeastWithout wanting to sound tediously Scrooge-like, the German-style markets that have become seasonal fixtures in many British cities over the last few decades never make me feel particularly festive. What’s remotely Christmassy – or German – about Dubai-chocolate churros and Korean fried chicken, I grumble as I drag the dog (who enjoys all such things) around their perimeters.Hamburg’s markets, however, which I was myself dragged around last weekend, are a very different story. For a start, the city has many of them, mainly fairly small – and some, such as the “erotic Christmas market” in St Pauli, with a particular theme
Christmas gift ideas for drinks lovers, from champagne to canned cocktails
Don’t get pulled in by silly gadgets: buy presents you’d be happy to receive yourselfThe Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.Alcohol is an unavoidable part of a festive spread (for more advice on which wines, beers and other drinks I like for each and every occasion, take a look at last week’s Christmas drinks guide), but, sometimes, a drink deserves a place under the tree as well as around it – especially if it’s an easy win for a drinks devotee for whom you need to buy a prezzie.The Guardian’s journalism is independent
Nine bring-a-plate ideas for Christmas drinks, barbecues and dinner parties this summer – recipes
Like nibblies, the concept of bringing a plate to a social event or a host’s home can be deeply confusing across cultures and generations. Are you carting canapes? Are you slinging salad? Are you delivering dessert? If we’ve learned anything from the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, it’s that communication is key. So if you’re unsure about what your host expects, just ask.Below are nine summer-friendly recipes to suit various bring-a-plate scenarios: one-bite snacks that go with cocktails, salads to bring to barbecues and make-ahead dessert for dinner parties, arranged in each category from easiest to most ambitious.And if time is seriously short, you could throw together a pleasingly arranged antipasto-ish plate comprised of Guardian Australia’s top supermarket taste test products: crackers, feta, salami and pickles
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