U.S. job seekers received some positive news in November.  The latest government figures show the private sector added 120,000 jobs, reducing the national unemployment rate to 8.6 percent, the lowest point since March 2009.

Jobs in retail accounted for the largest gain in new positions with 50,000 jobs added nationally, mostly due to the holiday shopping season.

But economists continue to urge caution, saying the latest numbers are not as rosy as they may appear.  The Wall Street Journal reports the 4 percent drop in the unemployment rate is partly due to a shrinking workforce and while the labor market is moving in the right direction, the economy is still weak.

Not surprisingly, the White House is touting the drop in unemployment as proof the economy is turning the corner, but House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, said the unemployment is still “unacceptable.”