US unemployment jumped to 4.6% in November. Nearly eight million Americans are seeking work they can't find — the worst stretch since late 2021. Federal job cuts and a crisis in part-time employment are driving the figures higher.
Since the start of the year, the federal government has shed 271,000 jobs, with Trump-era buyout programmes alone accounting for more than 160,000 workers leaving payrolls in October. Meanwhile, 909,000 additional Americans have found themselves stuck in part-time roles since September.
