February 2019 Jobs Report

Unemployment Rate: 3.8 percent

Jobs Created: 20,000

Employment and Unemployment

1. The Department of Labor reported the unemployment rate fell by 0.2 percentage point to 3.8 percent in February.

2. Nonfarm jobs grew by 20,000 in February, as employers continued their hiring streak for the 101st month in a row. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal had expected about 180,000 jobs.

3. Job growth in December and January was stronger than originally reported. Labor revised the jobs numbers for those months upward by a combined 12,000.

4. The U-6 unemployment rate, a measure that also includes part-time and discouraged workers, dropped 0.8 percentage point to 7.3 percent. By this measure, roughly 12 million Americans are unemployed.

Labor Force Participation

1. The labor force participation rate, the share of people employed or looking for work, held steady at 63.2 percent.

Wages

1. In February, average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls increased by 11 cents to $27.66. It is a 3.4 percent increase from a year ago.