Statement of US Labor Secretary Perez on November employment numbers

WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez issued the following statement about the November 2014 Employment Situation report released today:

"Robust job growth continued in November, with the addition of 321,000 new jobs, the most in a single month since January 2012. We've now had an unprecedented run of 57 straight months of private-sector job growth, with nearly 11 million jobs created over that time. November was the 10th consecutive month with job growth exceeding 200,000 — the longest stretch since the 1990s. The unemployment rate of 5.8 percent was unchanged from the previous month. Growth was widespread across industries, with particularly strong growth in professional and business services, education and health, and manufacturing.

"The news is good across the board. Growth has been strong in middle and high-wage industries over the last two years, and November saw particularly strong growth in professional and business services jobs. Auto sales are surging. Consumer confidence continues to grow. Americans are bullish about our economic future. By nearly every measure, we are in better shape than when President Obama took office nearly six years ago.

"Now it's time to take the next steps. By investing in a first-class American infrastructure, for example, we can create even more good jobs that pay middle-class wages. The executive action taken by the president on immigration will have a positive economic impact — increasing GDP, growing the labor force, raising wages and cutting the deficit. But only Congress can pass the comprehensive immigration reform that will create more sustainable, dynamic growth for decades to come.

"The president needs willing partners on Capitol Hill. If we work together, we can ensure continued widespread economic growth, and we can generate prosperity that is broadly shared."