Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

The US added 379,000 jobs in February, signaling the recovery is finally gaining steam

The US added 379,000 jobs in February, signaling the recovery is finally gaining steam

The US economy added 379,000 jobs last month, far more than economists had expected, signaling the labor market recovery is finally gaining steam.

The January numbers were also revised sharply higher to 166,000 added jobs versus 49,000 initially reported.

The leisure and hospitality industry added the most jobs in February with 355,000 new positions as some restrictions to stop the spread of Covid-19 were rolled back. The sector is still recovering from a rough winter, adding back positions that were lost rather than creating new jobs.

The unemployment rate — which only counts people who are actively seeking jobs and not those who have dropped out of the workforce entirely — inched down to 6.2% from 6.3% in January. It was forecast to stay flat.

Economists agree that the official jobless rate is likely under-reporting how many people are actually unemployed as a result of the pandemic.

For example, 4.2 million people who have dropped out of the labor force were prevented from looking for a new job due to the pandemic in February, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

"Today's report does show green shoots of recovery," said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor. "But I also think the report is a little bit weaker than the headline numbers show."

So Friday's good news is only part of the recovery story.

America is still down 9.5 million jobs from February last year. While that number is finally going down, millions of workers have to rely on government help to make ends meet. Despite the good news in Friday's report, "there's still a lot of wood to chop," said BMO senior economist Sal Guatieri.


On Thursday, the Labor Department reported more than 18 million people received benefits under the government's various programs in the week ended February 13.

And the labor force participation rate was flat at 61.4% in February. It hasn't been this low since the 1970s.

The unequal recovery


Economists and politicians are calling the recovery "K-shaped" because it isn't working for everyone. While many white-collar workers and people invested in the stock market have seen their wealth increase through the pandemic, lower-wage earners have struggled to pay for basic necessities.

A look at how the different demographic groups fared in February offers more proof of the unequal recovery, though economists caution that month-to-month data can be volatile.

The Asian unemployment rate dropped to 5.1% last month from 6.6% before, marking the biggest improvement of any demographic group measured in the report.

White and Hispanic jobless rates inched down by 0.1 percentage point each, to 5.6% and 8.5%, respectively.

Both Asian and Hispanic employment was likely driven by the gains in the hospitality and leisure industry, in which both groups are disproportionately represented, Zhao said.

Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for Black workers went the other way: jumping to 9.9% from 9.2% before. The current rate is "just shy of the high-water mark in the Great Recession," wrote Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute.

"One of the big concerns for the recovery going forward is that a rising tide does not lift all boats," Zhao said.

In February 2021, before the pandemic hit, the Black jobless rate stood at 6%. So if the White unemployment rate is too high at 5.7% during the pandemic, it means the Black unemployment rate wasn't low enough in normal times, Zhao added.

"Passing large-scale relief measures now is an economic and racial justice imperative," said Gould.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
×