US jobs growth higher than expected

More than 200,000 new jobs have been added in the US for the second month running.

Some 228,000 new nonfarm jobs were created in November, more than Wall Street was expecting. Unemployment was unchanged at 4.1%.

Construction firms and manufacturers both took on more employees last month, with builders creating 23,000 new jobs and manufacturers taking on 31,000 new staff.

There were strong gains again in professional related work and healthcare. Most other industries saw little change.

Workers pay rose 5 cents, or 0.2%, to an average of $26.55 an hour. The yearly increase in hourly pay moved up to 2.5% from 2.3%.

The increase in jobs makes the anticipated rise in interest rates in this month seem likely.