New York, NY - Congressman Charles B. Rangel released the following statement today after the Department of Labor announced that the economy added 321,000 jobs and the unemployment rate held at 5.8 percent, the lowest unemployment rate since July 2008. With businesses adding 314,000 jobs, this marks the 58th consecutive month of private sector job growth:

"November's Jobs Report proves that our great country is still alive and kicking. This progress demonstrates that hard work, relationship building, and investment from the private sector results in energizing our labor force and generating opportunities.

Nonetheless, it is still unacceptable that the unemployment rate is twice as high in the Black community and among young people. We must keep pushing forward in our united effort to enhance the quality of life for everyone in America. As many of us celebrate the holiday season, we must remind ourselves that there are millions of people struggling to get by. We cannot afford another reckless Republican shutdown.

As the beginning of the 114th Congress draws near, I hope that we can work on passing common-sense comprehensive immigration and tax reform bills which would further stimulate our economy. For my part, I will continue to promote initiatives that will bring new opportunities to New York's 13th Congressional District."

November Employment Report Key Points

• The sector which created the most number of jobs was professional and business services with emphasis on accounting and bookkeeping (86,000), followed by retail (50,000) with an emphasis on car dealerships and clothing stores, health care (29,000), and manufacturing (4,000).

• The unemployment rate held at 5.8 percent, and the number of unemployed persons is currently at 9.1 million. In the last year, the unemployment rate and number of unemployed persons decreased by 1.2 percentage points or 1.7 million respectively.

• The unemployment rate for adult men rose to 5.4 percent. Also, the rate for adult women was 5.3 percent, teenagers (17.7 percent), African Americans (11.1 percent), Hispanic Americans (6.6 percent), and Asian Americans (4.8 percent).

• Labor force participation rate remains at 62.8 percent and has barely changed since April.

• Average hourly earnings rose by 0.4%, though the measure is up only 2.1% for the year.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics at the United States Department of Labor has released a detailed report which can be found here.