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December 5, 2003 8:30 AM, EST

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he U.S. economy added 57,000 jobs in November, pushing the unemployment rate down to 5.9% from 6%, the lowest rate since March, the Labor Department reported Friday.

November marked the fourth straight month the economy added jobs. The gain would have been greater if not for 23,000 jobs lost at grocery stores because of strikes, Labor said.

The total number of jobs in the prior two months was revised to a 236,000 gain, 15,000 less than previously estimated.

Manufacturers lost 17,000 jobs last month, the 40th straight monthly decline. Factory job losses have averaged 17,000 a month since August, compared with a decline of 53,000 a month in the year ended in August.

The manufacturing workweek rose to 40.8 hours from 40.6 in October and overtime increased to 4.4 hours.

Employment in service-producing industries rose by 64,000 last month, after a 145,000 increase the previous month.

Labor said the survey of households that measures that rate showed employment grew by 589,000 last month, leading to the decline in November's rate. The number of payroll jobs added is determined by a separate survey of companies.

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