The U.S. lost 92,000 jobs in February and the jobless rate rose to 4.4 percent, according to data released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
The Februrary jobs report showed the U.S. labor market rapidly losing steam last month, defying the expectations of experts. Economists expected the U.S. to have gained roughly 60,000 jobs in February with an unemployment rate of 4.4 percent, according to consensus estimates.
February job growth was widely expected to slow after much of the U.S. was battered by winter storms last month, following an unseasonably warm January. A surge in the number of striking workers was also likely to take a chunk out of February job gains.
