U.S. Fed's Evans says would like more signs of growth before taper

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A top Federal Reserve official said on Friday he would ideally like to see more signs of recovery in the labor market before the U.S. central bank reduces its bond-buying stimulus program, although he was open-minded.

Asked whether a report showing robust job growth in November was enough to put a tapering of bond purchases on the table at this month's Fed meeting, Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said the report showed the economy was moving in the right direction.

"I'll be open-minded," he said in an interview with Reuters Insider television. "Everything else (being) equal I would like to see a couple of months of good numbers, but this was improvement."

For video of the interview, please click on the following link: http://reut.rs/1bIC1NX

(Reporting by Ann Saphir; Writing by Jason Lange in Washington; Editing by Krista Hughes)