February jobs report: DOGE federal layoffs show up amid gains
The U.S. added 151,000 jobs in February as employers continued making hires while the federal government slashed its workforce by 10,000.
The U.S. added 151,000 jobs in February as employers in a range of industries continued making hires while the federal government slashed its workforce by 10,000.
The fresh employment data reported Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics missed expectations for 170,000 new roles, but last month's job gains exceeded the revised 125,000 posted in January. The unemployment rate climbed slightly to 4.1% from 4.0% the month before.
The health care sector added 52,000 roles in February, financial-services firms added 21,000, and transportation and warehousing companies added 18,000.
The BLS data, which painted a mixed picture of the labor market, may not fully capture the extent of President Donald Trump's sweeping policy changes.
"The survey period for this report is around the 12th of the month," Bankrate Senior Economic Analyst Mark Hamrick said in a statement Friday. "Much has happened since then," he said, nodding to the 62,000 federal job-cut announcements flagged by a report Thursday from the consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas.
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