Rate of unemployment fell in 36 states and the District of Columbia in November, figures released by the Labor Department revealed on Friday.

However, the report also said that more states shed jobs than added last month, showing that hiring is not going on smoothly across the nation.

The number of people out of work for at least six months jumped in November to 5.9 million, while the average span of redundancy surpassed 28 weeks, the longest since 1948.

It should be noted here that those frustrated jobless people who stop searching for jobs are not counted in the labor force.

Only 19 states added jobs in November as compared with 28 in the previous month. 31 states and the District of Columbia reported a net loss of jobs last month.

South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Idaho are among the states that are experiencing faster increase in their labor forces.

Commenting on the issue, Mark Vitner from Wells Fargo & Co., said, "Now that the economy is stabilizing, we're seeing more people come back into the work force and looking for jobs."

The rate of unemployment in California, which is the highly populated state of the country, fell slightly from 12.5 per cent in October to 12.3 per cent in November.