Unemployment Rate Climbs to 9.8%, Payrolls Rise

The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 9.8% in November, while the total number of jobs and the number of trucking jobs increased, the Labor Department said Friday.

The jobless rate was the highest since April, Bloomberg reported.

Trucking employment rose by 1,400 jobs, holding at about 1.26 million, according to Labor figures.

Private payrolls rose by 50,000, missing the 160,000 predicted by economists, Bloomberg reported.

Overall payroll numbers including government employment grew by 39,000, after a revised 172,000 increase in October. Economists forecast the unemployment rate to remain at 9.6%, its level in October.

Government payrolls fell by 11,000, with state and local governments cutting 13,000 jobs and the federal government adding 2,000.