WASHINGTON — The nation’s employers added a solid 199,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell, fresh signs that the economy could achieve an elusive “soft landing,” in which inflation would return to the Federal Reserve’s 2% target without causing a steep recession.
File - Mechanic David Stoliaruk works on the engine of a car at IC Auto in Philadelphia, May 2, 2023. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its November jobs report. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
File - Nicole Lipa prepares a drink at a Starbucks location, June 28, 2023, in Seattle. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its November jobs report. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
File - Social worker Lupita Armijo-Garcia works at her desk in the Ottawa County, Mich., Department of Public Health office, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, in Holland, Mich. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its November jobs report. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman, File)
Workers apply sheathing to the exterior of a new multifamily residential building, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its November jobs report. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
File - Nicole Lipa prepares a drink at a Starbucks location, June 28, 2023, in Seattle. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its November jobs report. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson, File)
File - Social worker Lupita Armijo-Garcia works at her desk in the Ottawa County, Mich., Department of Public Health office, Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, in Holland, Mich. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its November jobs report. (AP Photo/Kristen Norman, File)
File - Mechanic David Stoliaruk works on the engine of a car at IC Auto in Philadelphia, May 2, 2023. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its November jobs report. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
Workers apply sheathing to the exterior of a new multifamily residential building, Friday, Nov. 3, 2023, in the East Boston neighborhood of Boston. On Friday, the U.S. government issues its November jobs report. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)
