Payroll employment edges down 92,000 in February; unemployment rate changes little at 4.4%

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that total nonfarm payroll employment edged down by 92,000 in February 2026, while the unemployment rate changed little at 4.4 percent. The Bureau stated that health care employment decreased, reflecting strike activity, with offices of physicians losing 37,000 jobs and hospitals adding 12,000, and that employment in information (-11,000) and federal government (-10,000) continued to trend down. The Bureau also reported that average hourly earnings for all employees on private nonfarm payrolls rose 15 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $37.32, up 3.8 percent over the past 12 months, and that the changes in total nonfarm payroll employment for December and January were revised down by 65,000 and 4,000, respectively. The Bureau noted that household survey data for January and February 2026 reflect updated population estimates incorporating the 2020 Census base, which affected labor force participation and employment-population ratio comparisons but left the unemployment rate unaffected.

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