A report from the Labor Department said that the unemployment rate fell to 8.6% in November. The economy added 120,000 jobs. The report also revised the hiring numbers for the previous two months to higher numbers. The report showed that the amount of national income going to labor was at its lowest point ever in the last quarter. While economists say that the new report is positive, they are still cautious about the economic future, pointing to instability in Europe and the number of workers who have left the workforce.
See "Signs of Hope in Jobs Report; Unemployment Drops to 8.6%", Catherine Rampell, The New York Times, December 1, 2011