Secretary of Labor, Hilda Solis says that our nation added 146,000 non-farm payroll jobs in November 2012 and that the unemployment rate fell to 7.7% which is its lowest level since December 2008.

“November’s jobs report means we've now seen 33 straight months of private sector job growth totaling nearly 5.6 million jobs. This year, we've created an average of 154,000 private sector jobs a month" says Solis.

Job gains were reported last month in nearly every hiring category. Hiring in the business and professional services sector is back to its pre-recession peak. Consumer confidence is high, and Americans are shopping again. Last month retailers added 53,000 jobs in anticipation of increased holiday sales.

Solis states that “there’s more work to be done, but our economic recovery remains on the right trajectory. More than ever, the American people need Washington to work for them and offer solutions. The last thing we can afford is to raise taxes on the middle class at a time when their spending is helping to drive the job gains of this recovery. It’s time to govern, and for every member of Congress to find common ground and cooperate to solve our nation’s fiscal and economic challenges.”