Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 151,000 in February, and the unemployment rate edged up 0.1% to 4.1%, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported.
Employment trended up in health care, financial activities, transportation and warehousing, and social assistance. Federal government employment declined.
Health care added 52,000 jobs in February, in line with the average monthly gain of 54,000 over the prior 12 months. In February, job growth continued in ambulatory health care services (+26,000), hospitals (+15,000), and nursing and residential care facilities (+12,000)
Employment in financial activities rose by 21,000 in February, above the prior 12-month average gain (+5,000). Over the month, employment continued to trend up in real estate and rental and leasing (+10,000) and insurance carriers and related activities (+5,000). Commercial banking lost 5,000 jobs.
Transportation and warehousing employment continued to trend up in February (+18,000), in line with the average monthly gain over the prior 12 months (+13,000). Over the month, job growth occurred in couriers and messengers (+24,000) and air transportation (+4,000).
Within government, federal government employment declined by 10,000 in February.
In February, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 10 cents, or 0.3%, to $35.93. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased by 4.0%. The change in total nonfarm payroll employment for December was revised up by 16,000, from +307,000 to +323,000, and the change for January was revised down by 18,000, from +143,000 to +125,000. With these revisions, employment in December and January combined is 2,000 lower than previously reported.
Read the BLS release
