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March 7, 2025
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 151,000 in February, while the unemployment rate remained relatively stable at 4.1%. Employment saw notable increases in health care, financial activities, transportation and warehousing, and social assistance, whereas federal government employment experienced a decline. These findings are based on two monthly surveys: the household survey, which measures labour force status, including unemployment by demographic characteristics, and the establishment survey, which assesses nonfarm employment, hours, and earnings by industry.
Household Survey Data
In February, the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1%, with 7.1 million people unemployed. The rates for major worker groups, including adult men (3.8%), adult women (3.8%), teenagers (12.9%), Blacks (6.0%), Asians (3.2%), and Hispanics (5.2%), showed little change, except for Whites, whose rate increased to 3.8%.
The number of long-term unemployed remained at 1.5 million, making up 20.9% of all unemployed individuals.
The labour force participation rate (62.4%) and the employment-population ratio (59.9%) showed little change. The number of people employed part-time for economic reasons increased by 460,000 to 4.9 million. These individuals preferred full-time jobs but were working part-time due to reduced hours or inability to find full-time employment.
The number of people not in the labour force who wanted a job increased by 414,000 to 5.9 million. Among them, 1.7 million were marginally attached to the labour force, and 464,000 were discouraged workers who believed no jobs were available for them.
Establishment Survey Data
In February, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 151,000, similar to the average monthly gain of 168,000 over the prior 12 months. Notable job gains occurred in health care, financial activities, transportation and warehousing, and social assistance. Health care added 52,000 jobs, with growth in ambulatory health care services, hospitals, and nursing and residential care facilities.
Employment in financial activities rose by 21,000, with gains in real estate and rental and leasing, and insurance carriers and related activities, despite a loss in commercial banking. Transportation and warehousing employment increased by 18,000, with job growth in couriers and messengers and air transportation. Social assistance employment rose by 11,000, driven by individual and family services.
Federal government employment declined by 10,000. Employment in retail trade changed little, with a decline in food and beverage retailers due to strike activity, offset by gains in warehouse clubs, supercenters, and other general merchandise retailers.
Other major industries, including mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction; construction; manufacturing; wholesale trade; information; professional and business services; leisure and hospitality; and other services, showed little change in employment over the month.
Average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 10 cents to $35.93, marking a 4.0 percent rise over the past year. The average workweek for all employees remained unchanged at 34.1 hours, with production and nonsupervisory employees also seeing no change at 33.6 hours.
Revisions for December and January showed a net decrease of 2,000 jobs, with December’s employment revised up by 16,000 to 323,000 and January’s revised down by 18,000 to 125,000. These revisions resulted from additional reports and recalculations of seasonal factors.
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