Unemployment at 7%, 203K Jobs Added    12/06 07:38

   WASHINGTON (AP) -- A fourth straight month of solid hiring cut the U.S. 
unemployment rate to a five-year low of 7 percent in November, an encouraging 
sign for the economy.

   The Labor Department says employers added 203,000 jobs, nearly matching 
October's revised gain of 200,000. The job gains helped lower the unemployment 
rate from 7.3 percent in October.

   The strengthening job market is likely to fuel speculation that the Federal 
Reserve may start to scale back its bond purchases when it meets later this 
month.

   The economy has now generated an average of 204,000 jobs from August through 
November. That's up from 159,000 a month from April through July.

   Many of the November job gains were in higher-paying industries. 
Manufacturers added 27,000 positions, the most since March 2012. Construction 
firms gained 17,000.


(KA)