U.S. economy added 155,000 jobs in November; short of expectations

Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The U.S. economy added 155,000 jobs in November and kept unemployment at 3.7 percent, the lowest in almost 50 years, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said Friday.

Overall, manufacturing added 27,000 jobs, raising its year-to-date total to 288,000. Many were in the chemicals and primary metals industries.

Average hourly earnings for private workers rose by 6 cents to $27.35 per hour. Average hourly earnings increased 81 cents, or 3.1 percent, year-to-date.

The jobs figure fell short of expectations, which was about 198,000.

Some analysts say tariffs on foreign imports could be weighing down the economy. General Motors cited tariffs as one of the main reasons why it's laying off thousands of workers and closing several plans.

"We continue to believe that the main driver of manufacturing softness is tariffs," an analyst at investment firm UBS said.

The unemployment rate has been at 3.7 percent for three months in a row, while the number of unemployed was little changed last month, at 6 million. The number of long-term unemployed declined by 120,000 to 1.3 million.