U.S. Payrolls Fell by 92,000 in February as the Unemployment Rate Held at 4.4 Percent
On March 6, 2026, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Employment Situation report for February 2026: total nonfarm payroll employment edged down by 92,000, while the unemployment rate, at 4.4 percent, and the number of unemployed people, at 7.6 million, changed little. January's payroll gain was revised to 126,000.
By industry, health care employment declined by 28,000 in February, with offices of physicians losing 37,000 jobs, primarily reflecting strike activity, while hospitals added 12,000; over the prior 12 months health care had added an average of 36,000 jobs per month. Employment in information fell by 11,000 and continued to trend down, and federal government employment declined by 10,000, leaving it down 330,000, or 11.0 percent, from its October 2024 peak. Social assistance added 9,000 jobs.
Average hourly earnings for employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose by 15 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $37.32 in February, and were up 3.8 percent over the year; the average workweek was unchanged at 34.3 hours. The number of long-term unemployed, those jobless for 27 weeks or more, was little changed at 1.9 million but was up from 1.5 million a year earlier, accounting for 25.3 percent of all unemployed people.
Revisions cut December 2025 payrolls from a gain of 48,000 to a loss of 17,000 and trimmed January from 130,000 to 126,000, leaving employment in December and January combined 69,000 lower than previously reported. The Employment Situation for March is scheduled for release on April 3, 2026.
Related: U.S. CPI Rose 0.3% in February, With the 12-Month Increase Holding at 2.4%
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于美国华盛顿的美国劳工部弗朗西斯·珀金斯大楼外景（资料照片），劳工统计局隶属劳工部。ajay_suresh 摄，CC BY 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons；联邦固定图库。 / Photo: The Frances Perkins Building, headquarters of the U.S. Department of Labor, in Washington, D.C. (file photo); the Bureau of Labor Statistics is part of the department. Photo by ajay_suresh, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; federal fixed image library.
