The Labor Department reported Friday that hiring deteriorated from January, when companies, nonprofits and government agencies added a healthy 126,000 jobs. Economists had expected 60,000 new jobs in February.
Revisions also cut 69,000 jobs from December and January payrolls.
The job market had been expected to rebound this year from a lackluster 2025 when the economy, buffeted by President Donald Trump's erratic tariff policies and the lingering effects of high interest rates, generated just 15,000 jobs a month. And January hiring had come in above expectations.
"Just when it looked like the labor market was stabilizing, this report delivers a knock-down blow to that view,'' said Olu Sonola, head of U.S. economics at Fitch Ratings. It’s bad news whichever way you look at it.''
The job losses were widespread.
Construction companies cut 11,000 jobs last month, which likely reflects reflect frigid weather. And healthcare firms shed 28,000 jobs after a four-week strike by more than 30,000 nurses and other front-line workers at Kaiser Permanente in California and Hawaii. Health care has been one of the job market's strong points.
Factories cut 12,000 jobs and have now lost jobs for 14 of the last 15 months. Restaurants and bars lost nearly 30,000 jobs. Administrative and support services firms lost nearly 19,000 jobs and courier and messenger services almost 17,000.
Financial firms added 10,000 jobs, though job cuts continue to hit that sector as well this year.
