WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, a surprising contraction that has renewed concerns about the strength of the labor market.
New data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) showed payrolls shrinking instead of growing, missing economists’ expectations that roughly 50,000 jobs would be added.
The BLS also revised earlier employment figures downward. January job growth was adjusted to 126,000 from the previously reported 130,000, while December’s figure was revised to show a loss of 17,000 jobs after earlier estimates suggested growth.
Despite the decline in payrolls, the unemployment rate held relatively steady at 4.4%, slightly above January’s 4.3% rate.
Several sectors showed weakness in February. The information technology industry, transportation and warehousing, and federal government employment all recorded declines. Health care jobs also dropped sharply, largely because of a major strike at Kaiser Permanente that temporarily removed about 31,000 workers from payrolls.
Other sectors — including oil and gas, construction, manufacturing, retail, and financial services — showed little change during the month.
Economists say the broader U.S. economy has produced mixed signals in recent months, with uncertainty tied to a government shutdown and questions surrounding the Trump administration’s tariff policies.
Financial markets reacted quickly to the report. U.S. government bond yields fell after the release, while stock futures declined as investors reassessed the economic outlook.
Sources
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