U.S. non-farm employment, due at 8.30 a.m. EST, is forecast to have risen by 93,000 jobs last month after gaining 171,000 in October, according to a Reuters survey. The unemployment rate is seen holding steady at 7.9 percent.

Superstorm Sandy likely put a dent in U.S. jobs growth in November, temporarily interrupting a recently established trend of modestly rising payrolls.

Amarin Corporation (AMRN.O) was down 18.4 percent in late trading on Thursday after the bio-pharmaceutical company said it raised $100 million in non-equity financing that will help it form a sales force to launch its heart drug Vascepa, but disappointed investors hoping for a sale or partnership.

Smith & Wesson Holding Corp (SWHC.O) was up 5.8 percent, after the bell on Thursday following the release of its results, while GEO Group (GEO.N) was up 6.2 percent after the company announced a special dividend.

Brent crude steadied above $107 per barrel, but prices were headed for their biggest weekly loss in more than a month on worries about the euro zone economy and a looming fiscal crisis in the United States, the world's top oil consumer.

European shares .FTEU3 were down 0.2 percent, pressured by lower German and Italian shares, after Germany's central bank cut its growth outlook for Europe's largest economy next year, and on political uncertainty in Italy.

U.S. stocks closed modestly higher on Thursday, a day ahead of the key monthly jobs report, as a rebound in shares of Apple helped boost technology shares.

The Dow Jones industrial average .DJI rose 39.55 points, or 0.30 percent, to 13,074.04 at the close. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index .SPX added 4.66 points, or 0.33 percent, to 1,413.94. The Nasdaq Composite Index .IXIC gained 15.57 points, or 0.52 percent, to close at 2,989.27.

(Reporting by Atul Prakash)

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