News release: “Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 171,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was essentially unchanged at 7.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported [November 2, 2012]. Employment rose in professional and business services, health care, and retail trade…The civilian labor force rose by 578,000 to 155.6 million in October, and the labor force participation rate edged up to 63.8 percent. Total employment rose by 410,000 over the month. The employment population ratio was essentially unchanged at 58.8 percent, following an increase of 0.4 percentage
point in September.