The U.S. unemployment rate is the highest since the pandemic, despite adding 64,000 non-farm payroll jobs in November, exceeding economists’ expectations. Construction jobs surged, driven by specialty trade contractors, aligning with AI and automation growth projections. ICE raids are exacerbating the construction labor shortage. The jobs report shows cracks in the economic recovery, with uncertainty about 2026 job market trends.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: November BLS jobs data show the good, bad, and ugly, analysts say