The average worker's assessment of the state of the economy improved slightly in November, snapping five straight months of new lows, the Cabinet Office said in a monthly survey released Tuesday.

The diffusion index of the "economy watcher" index on the current state of the economy rose 2.4 points from October to 29.6. But the index remained below the key line of 50 for the 16th straight month.

A reading of 50 indicates that the respondents, whose jobs are seen as sensitive to economic cycles, generally believe the economy has not changed from the previous three months. The workers include taxi and truck drivers, department store clerks, and shop and restaurant owners.