The U.S. economy added more jobs than expected in February, though the increase was not enough to bring down the unemployment rate, according to figures released Friday by the Labor Department.
The economy added a net of 227,000 jobs in February, with a gain of 233,000 jobs in the private sector offsetting losses in public sector employment.
Furthermore the January spike in job creation was revised up to 284,000 from the 243,000 initially reported, while December's figures were revised up to 223,000 from 203,000.
Most economists had predicted a drop from the robust 243,000 jobs initially reported as created in January, but the consensus had been that job creation would fall off even further to roughly 204,000.
The increases, however, were not large enough to bring down the unemployment rate, which held steady in February at 8.3 percent, as expected by most economists.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.