The U.S. unemployment rate dropped slightly in October, while the economy had a net gain of 80,000 jobs.

Friday's report from the Labor Department says the unemployment rate declined one-tenth of a percent to 9.0 percent.

The jobless rate is the lowest in six months, but still leaves 13.9 million Americans out of work.

The U.S. economy has recovered only a fraction of the 8 million jobs lost in the recession, which was the worst downturn in decades.