Construction's unemployment rate showed another year-over-year improvement in November, dipping to 18.8% from the November 2009 level of 19.4%, but also was worse than October's 17.3%.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest monthly employment report, released on Dec. 3, also shows that construction lost 5,000 jobs in November, on a seasonally adjusted basis, after gaining 3,000 in October.

Looking at industry segments, BLS reported that the 6,800 jobs lost in specialty trade contractors last month more than offset gains in the buildings and heavy-civil construction sectors.

November was the second-consecutive month in which the construction jobless rate was lower than in the same month last year.

On the down side, construction's November rate remained the worst among major U.S. industry sectors. Agriculture posted the second-highest rate, at 14.5%.

The bureau's unemployment rates for construction and other industries do not reflect seasonal variations. Construction's rates tend to get worse in the late fall and winter as the amount of building decreases.

BLS reported that the overall national jobless rate rose to 9.8% in November, from 9.6% in the previous month.

This article has been updated on 5:00 p.m. December 3, 2010